Two men who described themselves as “pedos” in messages discussed raping someone in the changing rooms of a swimming pool, and kidnapping schoolchildren, a court has heard.
Stephen Ireland, 40, co-founded LGBTQ+ group Pride in Surrey in 2018. He is charged with 20 offences, including one count of raping a child, three counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and one count of sexual assault on a child.
He allegedly spoke of kidnapping schoolchildren, sexually abusing boys and visiting a swimming pool to “perv”, a trial at Guildford Crown Court heard.
Jurors were also told that Ireland and his flatmate David Sutton, 27, who volunteered with the Pride group, “targeted children for their sexual proclivities” between 2022 and 2024.
Sutton is charged with five offences, including three counts of making indecent photographs of children.
They are also jointly charged with another 15 offences related to a number of children.
The pair, who are both from Addlestone, Surrey, deny all the charges.
‘I wanna do something terrible with you’
The court heard that the pair used WhatsApp from 2022 to message each other about “snatching” or “kidnapping” a schoolchild.
Prosecutor Isabel Delamere said the conversations were beyond fantasy and jurors were told that the pair discussed targeting children outside school gates while pretending to be a talent coach or music manager and how to avoid CCTV.
In one message, Ireland – who co-founded Pride in Surrey in 2018 – allegedly said “all I’m thinking of is making out with a 13”.
Meanwhile, in another message he wrote to Sutton that “every day passes and I wanna do something terrible with you”, the court heard.
Jurors were also told they described themselves as “pedos” in messages and discussed kidnapping and raping someone in the changing rooms of a swimming pool.
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Prosecution: ‘Messages were not just fantasy’
In other messages, the court heard they had discussed: sexually abusing two children, including a girl aged six; drugging and sexually assaulting a 17-year-old; and procuring a 13-year-old boy for Sutton’s 25th birthday.
Ms Delamere told the jury that the messages were “not just a passing fantasy or passing fad” and demonstrated “a long and consistent history” between them.
On Wednesday, jurors were told that Ireland is separately accused of having sexual intercourse and smoking a bong with a 12-year-old boy at his flat in April 2024.
Both are accused of perverting the course of justice by deleting phone material and history once they were aware of the police investigation, the court also heard.
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‘Merely role play’, defence to argue
Jurors heard that the defendants deny all charges against them and will argue the allegations are ill-founded and untrue.
In July 2024, Ireland told police in a statement that any communications with Sutton were “merely fantasy and role play” and “there was never any intentions to carry out such fantasies”.
The trial continues.
