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Michael And Lara Chase: Couple Jailed For ‘Appalling’ Sexual Abuse Of 13-Month-Old Baby They Were Babysitting

By Pam Wright
Published on: 23:11 PST, Mar 11, 2016

A husband and wife have been found guilty for sexually abusing a 13-month-old girl they were babysitting.

Michael Chase, 52, was sentenced to 14 years and his 46-year-old wife Lara was sentenced to 13 years by a judge who called the case “every parents’ nightmare” at Peterborough Crown Court in England on Friday.

According to the Daily Mail, the pair had attacked the friend’s baby twice, taken photos and videos, and shared the footage with a WhatsApp pedophile ring.

Chase’s wife, Lara, helped record the abuse of the little girl and sent two of them on her phone using WhatsApp. Police never uncovered the identity of the recipient of the images.

The judge called it “the worse case of abuse of a baby I have ever seen.”

“The feeling of revulsion return every time those photographs are opened.”

According to the BBC, Chase, a former swimming pool attendant, admitted his guilt last year, but his wife maintained her innocence, claiming she was unaware the abuse was occurring.

She told the court that the pair had separated after 18 months of marriage and she wanted to see him “hung, drawn and quartered.”

Despite her testimony, the court did not believe her and she was found guilty earlier this week of two counts of sexual assault and the distribution of indecent images.

Prosecutor Nicola Devas said Chase’s friend of 25 years often relied on the couple for babysitting.

“Both the defendants regularly looked after the child and indeed the suggested to the parents that they could do that. The child has slept at their house on approximately four occasions. The baby’s father knew the defendant Michael for 25 years. They trusted the defendants with their child. They had no idea at all of the abuse she was suffering.”

A known sex offender, Michael Chase had already pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault and possession of indecent and extreme images.

During the trial, the court was shown pictures of Michael Chase abusing the tiny victim.

Following their conviction and before sentencing on Friday, Detective Constable Lloyd Metselaar from Cambridgeshire Police said he was relieved the couple finally found justice.

“I am pleased that the family of the victim have received justice for what can only be described as every parent’s worst nightmare. The appalling acts committed together by Michael and Lara Chase on such a young child, who had been entrusted in their care, demonstrate the most serious breach of trust.”

The couple’s house was raided by police back in December 2014. Analysis of computers and mobile phones seized during the raid uncovered thousands of indecent images.

After going through the images, police discovered the terrible extent of abuse the couple had carried out on the friend’s child.

The parents of the baby told the court their child had no memory of what happened, but “they will carry the guilt of letting that child be looked after by their abuser forever.”

On behalf of the family, Prosecutor Devas said they are thankful their child has not been affected, although she is now old enough to pick up on the sense of stress this has caused her family.

“The affect is a huge breach of trust and they carry the guilt of letting that child be looked after by their abuser forever. The abuse has brought a huge strain on their marriage and they are trying to stay strong for the child. They are concerned when she is old enough to want to have sleep overs with her friends how they are going to trust that to happen.”

[Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]

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