Britain’s youngest female paedophile has been jailed for over seven years for abusing two children and taking pictures for men she met online. Sophie Elms, now 18, committed the ‘devastating’ sexual offences against two young children aged just two and three years old, a court heard.Elms was contacted by David Gearing who got her to abuse the children and send him pictures while she was working at a local nursery – the offences did not take place at the nursery.
Elms, from Swindon, Wiltshire, carried out the sickening attacks between December 2016 and March 2018. In a victim impact statement read to the court, the father of the two young girls told how Elms has ‘completely destroyed our lives’ and ‘damaged us beyond words’. He said: ‘The damage Sophie Elms has caused to our family is unimaginable. ‘Our two beautiful daughters looked up to you. We asked you if you wanted to care for them overnight, to help with your studies. ‘Not for one moment would we have imagined that this decision would change our lives forever.
‘We honestly do not know full extent of damage you have left on our two beautiful babies. What you did could have serious long-term effects on them in their later lives. ‘We have such a complete lack of trust to anyone with our children now. ‘Even leaving them at pre-school is a challenge to us, as this was the profession in which you were training. ‘Our youngest daughter is so distraught at bedtime that we have to stay with her for several hours. ‘We have made the decision that we cannot stay in Swindon for fear of bumping into you – and that it will be better for us to move [abroad]. ‘This whole horrific event has damaged us beyond words.’ Elms started talking to Gearing – who was jailed for 15 years last year – online and agreed to send pictures of children wearing clothes.
However, she soon started sending naked pictures and pictures of her touching them. This afternoon she was jailed at Swindon Crown Court for seven years and six months.