Alan Robert Webster (born 1965 in

Hatfield, Hertfordshire Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It had a population of 29,616 in 2001, and 39,201 at the 2011 Census. The settlement is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, home of the Marquess of ...

) is a high-profile English prisoner who pleaded guilty to several counts of

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

against a 12-week-old baby girl, and making indecent images in January 2006. The girl was being babysat by his girlfriend Tanya Louise French (born 1986 in

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

), who also pleaded guilty to charges related to the attack. Webster also pleaded guilty to the rape of a 14-year-old girl and possession of

child pornography Child pornography (also called CP, child sexual abuse material, CSAM, child porn, or kiddie porn) is pornography that unlawfully exploits children for sexual stimulation. It may be produced with the direct involvement or sexual assault of a chi ...

. He was sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

with a minimum term of six years. This was increased to eight years by the

Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

on 8 June 2006.

Lord Chief Justice Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

, Lord Phillips stated in his ruling that he questioned if the

Parole Board A parole board is a panel of people who decide whether an offender should be released from prison on parole after serving at least a minimum portion of their sentence as prescribed by the sentencing judge. Parole boards are used in many jurisdiction ...

should ever consider Webster's release considering the "depravity" of the crime. French was jailed for five years. Judge Findlay Baker said of the case "There are no words to express the abhorrence such offending generates".BBC retrieved 5th Feb 2010
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Alan Robert 1966 births Living people People from Hatfield, Hertfordshire English prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales English people convicted of rape English people convicted of child sexual abuse English people convicted of child pornography offences