Judge brands couple's depraved sexual abuse as 'almost beyond belief'

Judge Andrew Menary QC said the “campaign of rape” by David and Julie Morris showed “human depravity really knows no depths".

The abuse took place between 2018 and 2021 on a girl under the age of 13 and took place mostly at David Morris' home in Eccleston, St Helens.

David Morris, 52, Sandfield Road, Eccleston, St Helens has been sentenced to 16 years in prison, and a four-year extended licence.

Julie Morris, 44, Ancroft Drive, Hindley, Wigan, has been was jailed for 13 years and four months and a four year extended licence.

She was the deputy head and safeguarding lead at St George’s Central C of E Primary School in Tyldesley.

Both must serve two thirds of the sentence in prison.

At the hearing on Wednesday, Julie Morris, wearing glasses, a face mask and a cream cable knit jumper, entered guilty pleas to two counts of rape, nine of inciting child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and two of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

She also admitted three counts of taking indecent images of a child, one of engaging in sexual communication with a child and one of possessing indecent images of a child.

The teacher and David Morris, 52, who pleaded guilty to 34 offences at an earlier hearing, were sentenced on Wednesday afternoon.

The court heard the videos showed Julie Morris giggling as the abuse took place.

The offences are not related to Julie Morris’s employment at the school.

John Wyn Williams, prosecuting, said the couple met on dating app Plenty of Fish in 2016 after both had separated from their partners and the relationship “quickly became intensely sexual”.

He said: “The communication between them became graphic and depraved which led to some of their sexual fantasies becoming a reality.”

Mr Wyn Williams said the couple’s “sordid secret” was revealed when police found a conversation about sexual abuse of children involving David Morris in a phone seized during a search warrant.

He was arrested but cautioned and released and a number of devices were seized, which showed the recordings of rape and sexual abuse, the court heard.

Mr Wyn Williams said both defendants were arrested the following day as they appeared to be trying to evade police.

He said: “They were on their way to the Lake District in a camper van with £10,000 in their possession.”

David and Julie Morris

As well as videos and images on David Morris’s phone, officers trawled through 175,000 pages of messages between the couple, revealing sexually explicit communications.

David Morris pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to seven counts of rape, 13 counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, taking indecent images, of categories A, B and C, possessing and distributing indecent images, two counts of engaging in sexual communications with a child, three counts of voyeurism, possession of an extreme pornographic image and possession of a prohibited image of a child.

Paul Becker, defending Julie Morris, said she had “lost everything in life”, including her reputation, career and home.

He said: “She was held in high regard prior to her offending.”

He said that when she met David Morris she was at a “low ebb” after she discovered her husband of 15 years had been unfaithful.

In interview, Julie Morris admitted the offences but claimed the victim had wanted to take part.

Judge Andrew Menary QC said: “That last statement is breath-taking in its inappropriateness.”

Passing the sentences, added: "As a Crown Court judge I see many cases involving the dreadful abuse of children", but said the circumstances of this case are "almost beyond belief".

He added: "This is one of those cases sadly, it demonstrates that human depravity really knows no depths."

Judge Menary said to Julie Morris: "Amazingly you were also the safeguarding lead at your school having received training in the important area of keeping children safe and protecting them from abuse from, for example, paedophiles."

He added: (David Morris) had an insatiable appetite in sexual activity with children and you fed that interest."

The defendants shared depraved messages and the victim was also sometimes involved in the chats.

The judge said: "It's the sort of conversations you might expect from adults in the porn industry.”

He said the abuse was bound to affect the victim “psychologically, emotionally” and her “relationships with others”.

He said “I’m prepared to find that she will suffer severe psychological impacts as a consequence of what has happened to her, in my view that is inevitable.”

Liverpool Crown Court

The judge added to the defendants: “You have lost your good names, your careers, your homes.”

Charles Lander, defending David Morris, said he had showed genuine remorse and was “under no illusions” that he would be going to prison for a long time.

He said the couple’s “toxic relationship” had come to an end.