A Bearsted Paedophile, Ross Carver, with a sexual attraction to children who manipulated and prepared young individuals on the internet and distributed “shocking” photographs of alarming acts, attributed his repulsive actions to the influence of drink and drugs.
Ross Carver, a previous resident of Ashford, utilised social media sites like Kik to indulge in his deviant sexual desires during a COVID lockdown, which significantly exacerbated his mental health problems, as stated before Canterbury Crown Court.
During six months, he participated in several explicit conversations where he requested obscene photographs, shared child abuse images and films, and even encouraged others, including children, to engage in sexual actions with younger brothers and cousins.
Ross Carver, who is 33 years old, displayed extreme moral corruption by asserting that he was the adult depicted in the recordings engaging in abusive acts towards children as young as four. Furthermore, he shamelessly boasted about committing acts of sexual assault against toddlers.
Within a chatlog, he mentioned that he had “trained” two young girls and preferred working with younger individuals, as he found it more manageable.
However, it was revealed in court that the alleged female relatives whom he claimed to have molested do not exist. Additionally, the police have not recognised him as the perpetrator in any recordings or photographs.
However, despite Ross Carver’s disturbing claims being proven to be merely the distorted imaginings of an individual described by his lawyer as being heavily influenced by alcohol and drug abuse during the Covid lockdown, a judge expressed serious apprehensions during his sentencing hearing that he still presented a direct threat to children.
Ross Carver, currently residing with his parents in Bearsted, Maidstone, has confessed to three counts of attempting or organising the commission of a child sexual offence, nine counts of disseminating indecent photos of minors, and three counts of collecting indecent images.
Prosecutor Lucy Luttman stated that the police found several Kik chat logs and explicit photographs on an iPhone and Samsung device that were confiscated during a search of his residence in November 2020.
The devices uncovered evidence of his involvement in multiple chat groups centred around his foot fetish, including groups named “Teen Feet 10-16” and “Teen Feet Anything Goes”. Furthermore, he had conducted online searches using keywords such as “Young feet”.
From June to October 2020, Ross Carver engaged in online conversations with individuals who claimed to be 12, 13, 14, and 20 years old. Describing himself as “relaxed, uninterested, and desiring amusement,” he requested explicit photographs from a female located in Los Angeles, asserting that he was “one of the morally upright individuals.”
“He affirms that she is the ideal match he has been seeking and guarantees that he will provide compensation before proceeding to enquire about the condition of her feet,” Miss Luttman testified in court. “He explicitly enquires about the scent of vinegar emanating from her feet.”
“Residing in Ashford without any companionship, he experienced a significant exacerbation of his mental health problems due to the implementation of lockdown measures…”
Some individuals were questioned about photographing their younger family members, while one child received a photograph with explicit content and was urged to share pictures of his feet. Ross Carver also pledged to compensate £15 for each photograph, promising to be a “dedicated patron”.
However, Miss Luttman pointed out that the ages provided by the individuals targeted for grooming had not been authenticated. Therefore, whether these individuals were children or adults pretending to be children remains uncertain.
The court was presented Between July and November 2020; Ross Carver distributed 79 explicit images of abuse, both still and moving, several times across 42 distinct chat rooms. The photos portrayed children ranging from four to ten years old being subjected to the most severe forms of sexual conduct, including rape.
Ross Carver described explicit sexual actions disturbingly and offensively in these conversations, and he also urged others to engage in similar behaviour. He expressed his enjoyment in sexually assaulting a young child, describing it as a highly pleasurable experience.
Additional explicit images discovered on his phone, which he had not shared, included photographs of a two-year-old girl and some depicting “animated” infants.
After being apprehended, Ross Carver admitted to utilising Kik for foot fetish communities. While he acknowledged the possibility of using the term ‘teen’ in some online searches, he maintained that he never actively sought out child pornography, as he informed the authorities.
He asserted that he had reported other users for sharing what he deemed as “egregious” photographs.
Ross Carver, who lacks prior convictions, felt “disgusted and embarrassed” by his acts. His counsel, Victoria Meads, urged the court to deviate from the usual path and refrain from sentencing him to jail. Meads highlighted the substantial advancements Ross Carver has made in the past three years.
The individual engaged in various actions to address their challenges, such as participating in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, securing employment at the Hinkley Point nuclear power station in Somerset, seeking assistance from the child safety charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, and receiving treatment for previously unidentified ADHD.
“These offences occurred during a distinct period in his life and a completely different location,” stated Miss Meads.
“He has endured prolonged struggles with depression, suicidal ideation, and self-harm while also grappling with alcohol and drug addiction during the lowest point in his life in 2020. This period coincided with the Covid lockdown, which caused widespread isolation.”
“Residing in Ashford without any companionship, he experienced a significant exacerbation of his mental health problems due to the lockdown.”
The attorney said that the individual’s detailed descriptions of cruelty inflicted upon imaginary young relatives served as compelling evidence of his inclination towards fantasy.
“Although repulsive, abhorrent, and disturbing, some of that language is a reflection of his drug consumption during that period and his tendency to indulge in fantasy,” she stated.
Judge Simon James sentenced Ross Carver to three years in prison, stating that despite his “commendable inclinations” to address his criminal behaviour, it was unavoidable for him to be immediately incarcerated due to his widespread use of the internet to satisfy his sexual interest in children.
“You were seeking to express your own distorted needs and sexual fantasies… “You were deliberately attempting to engage not only with adults who shared your views but also with children in order to discuss in explicit detail the acts of rape and sexual abuse committed against very young children,” he informed Ross Carver.
“You openly admitted to committing sexual assault against young children and provided explicit details about your abuse of minors.” However, your moral corruption extended beyond the mere expression of your fantasies, as you also actively incited and promoted the abuse and violation of children by others.
“Any rational individual exposed to the abhorrent descriptions linked to the images you were openly disseminating would find it difficult to respond with anything other than disgust.”
“The act of describing images depicting the sexual abuse of children demonstrates a severe lack of moral values related to sexual behaviour. Although there is no evidence to suggest that you have engaged in such activities, it raises significant concerns about your potential to harm children directly.”
Upon his release from jail, Ross Carverwill be obligated to comply with indefinite sex offender notification requirements and adhere to a sexual harm prevention order.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.