'Mother of seven' is latest person charged in Facebook child sex abuse probe

Published on Tuesday 13 October 2009 00:29

A WOMAN was charged last night after an inquiry that saw three other people, including nursery worker Vanessa George, admit child sex offences.

Tracy Lyons, 39, from Portsmouth, was arrested after a police inquiry centred on Little Ted's Nursery in Plymouth.

Lyons, reportedly a mother of seven and pregnant, went before magistrates in Portsmouth, Hampshire, on Saturday. She was charged with the sexual abuse of a child, taking an indecent image of a child, and distributing indecent images of a child.

The arrest followed information from Greater Manchester Police, who investigated Colin Blanchard, 39, from Rochdale, a member of a paedophile ring which included George, 39, from Plymouth, and Angela Allen, 39, from Nottingham. The three will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court next month for 37 child sex offences. Lyons was remanded in custody to appear in court again on 18 January.

The news came as tapes from George's police interviews revealed her claiming to have asked Blanchard to "put a ring on her finger" in return for images. George, who worked at Little Ted's Nursery, said she knew the abuse was "vile" and "disgusting", but she refused to name or identify any of her child victims.

On the tapes, George says Blanchard urged her to take indecent images after they met on Facebook.

She tells police Blanchard had been pressing her for more images: "And I said, 'Well, what would you do for me if I done that for you?' – like joking. And I said 'You'd have to put a ring on my finger to make me do things like that!'"