A "PREDATORY" paedophile who videoed sexual abuse of children and covertly filmed women and youngsters has been jailed for eight years.

Police found thousands of indecent videos and pictures of youngsters when they searched John Gary Carney’s house, said Fen Greatley-Hirsch, prosecuting at York Crown Court.

Some of them were of children he himself had abused, using bribery to get them to submit to his sexual actions and to him filming them.

Others, including images of children as young as three years old, had been downloaded from the internet.

Police also found videos taken from covert cameras that Carney had set up near a toilet. They included some of the same victim taken from four different angles, indicating that he had hidden multiple cameras in a single location.

One of the women he covertly filmed said finding out what he had done had sent her into a “deep, dark place” where she couldn’t sleep and had cried for a week.

Another told the court she was now afraid to use public toilets, in case they had covert cameras in them, and took extraordinary precautions to avoid being seen whenever she undressed, even in her own house.

Carney, 69, of Prospect View, Northallerton, pleaded guilty to 23 charges including 11 of sexual assault of a child, one of making a child engage in sexual activity, six of taking indecent images of children, three of having indecent images of children and two of voyeurism.  

He was jailed for eight years, put on the sex offenders’ register for life and made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He had no previous convictions.

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Defence barrister Benjamin Bell said: “There does seem to be some remorse. He did say to me he was sorry for what had occurred.”

Carney had served his country for 23 years. His crimes had been committed after he had retired.

Outside court, Detective Constable Jason Roper, from North Yorkshire Police, said: “As the officer in charge of this case I had to review the twisted recordings Carney had made of himself. These were incredibly disturbing, and they clearly show the extent of his vile offending.

“Carney is a sexual predator and I welcome the sentence handed to him by the court, as it reflects the severity of his crimes.

“The victims should be commended for the bravery which they have shown by supporting this investigation.

“It’s clear that he had no regard for his victims – his only concern was to fulfil his own sexual gratification. I hope that this sentence helps bring some form of closure on this traumatic ordeal for those involved.”