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The mothers and the paedophile caught up in a triangle of abuse on the internet
Paul Cheston and Justin Davenport1 Oct 2009
Angela Allen, 39, from Bulwell, Nottingham
The single, unemployed mother-of-one had the title “Ang Bank” as her internet username.
She was the most graphic of the three and used her phone and computer to talk about sex with animals and fantasies of men raping children.
Following her arrest officers were stunned at her casual manner when interviewed and reveal she “never shed one tear or showed any sign of remorse”.
She had a previous spent conviction for a minor unrelated offence and was not known to the local social services.
Officers say despite the risks of the material she sent and received she did nothing to hide her tracks, delete images or destroy the information.
Allen was at the heart of a “typical” example of one of their exchanges.
She sent an email to Blanchard on 21 April, showing her abusing a child. On the same day, Blanchard forwarded the email to George.
The next day George sent Blanchard an email containing 10 images of children abused by her. This email was then forwarded by Blanchard to Allen.
Allen, who wore a dark blue jumper in court, wept as she pleaded guilty to one charge of distributing indecent images of children, three of sexual assault of a child and one of sexual assault of a child by penetration.
Colin Blanchard, 38, of Littleborough, near Rochdale Lancashire
He was one of two partners in a successful IT company in Manchester, which has since moved and re-branded, and enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle, living in a £225,000 four-bedroom detached house and driving a Volvo.
In 2002 he was subject to an unrelated VAT fraud investigation by officers from HM Customs and Excise. During the inquiry, child abuse images were linked to him. He was given a police caution and put on the sex offenders' register for five years.
He was subject to monitoring, including home visits and having to notify officers if he moved or went away for prolonged periods.
Blanchard came off the register in 2007 and none of the abuse images in the current investigation relate to a time when he was on the register.
He had contact with a number of women, and police are trying to trace his dealings with them.
Vanessa George, 39, Efford area of Plymouth
Married to an engineer for a catering firm since 1993, she has also worked as a secretary. George has an NVQ level two in childcare and babysat in the area, although there is no evidence she abused the children.
She had no previous convictions and passed a full vetting check prior to taking the job at the nursery. George is an only child. Her mother Sylvia died of breast cancer in 1985 and her father Roger Marks says he has not spoken to her since she was a child.
Today he said she had “lost her way”, adding that he was extremely upset when he learnt of the harrowing nature of the offences she committed.
He told the BBC: “I was disappointed — what made her do it?” Mr Marks said the anger aroused by the case was justified. Asked if he would speak to his daughter again, he replied: “I'd see her, no problem at all. She's my daughter after all.”
