Charity worker jailed for child abuse pics after being cleared of flashing kids
A charity shop worker has been jailed for two years for possessing extreme child abuse images, after being cleared of exposing herself to two 11-year-old girls.
Samantha Norris was acquitted by a jury at Southampton Crown Court of the two charges of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child which were alleged to have taken place on July 27, 2023. The prosecution had claimed that Norris, who is in the process of gender transitioning, had “exposed her penis” deliberately to the two youngsters through the window of her flat.
The 56-year-old was also cleared earlier in the trial of two further charges of engaging in sexual activity and two of indecent exposure. Norris told the court that she was a naturist who was “habitually naked” in her own home and the children could only have seen her naked if they had been “spying” on her.
Norris, who worked at a Sue Ryder charity shop in her home town of Ringwood, Hampshire, said she had been the victim of abuse from youngsters in the town and she felt these girls had been “taunting” her. During the trial Charles Gabb, prosecuting, told the jury that Norris was naked by the window when she was seen by the two girls on two days in a row.
He said: “The defendant, Miss Norris, now transitioning, she has a penis, was standing there fully naked, on the first day almost glorifying in that nudity over quite a period of time knowing the girls were there and drawing attention to herself. And the next day when she saw them again and she was naked, glorying in her nudity, almost posturing, definitely manipulating her penis with these two young girls being able to see all this. The Crown would suggest there was no attempt to cover up, no attempts of any modesty or propriety.”
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He said that one of the girls described the defendant “throwing her penis around” and added “both children could see her playing with her penis and knowing the children were watching. It certainly caused alarm for these two children and an element of distress as well.”
The case was heard at Southampton Crown Court (HAMPSHIRE LIVE/BPM MEDIA)Norris told the court she thought the children had only seen her head and shoulders and, when asked why she did not put clothes on, replied: “Because I am a naturist and I didn’t see it was necessary in my own home.” She added: “For people like me, we can provide an object of curiosity, so we attract unwanted attention and various behaviours related to it. I have seen it quite a lot. I think they got themselves wound up and were taunting me for a while.”
After the jury returned its not guilty verdicts, Norris, entered guilty pleas to three charges of making indecent images of children of categories A, B and C, one count of possessing prohibited images of children and a charge of possessing an extreme image depicting a person engaging in sexual activity with an animal.
As well as the prison sentence, Judge Nicholas Rowland made Norris subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years. The court the defendant had 16,000 images of children including about 2,000 still and 121 moving images of category A seriousness. The images included children aged as young as three with others showing youngsters aged about six in “distress and pain”, the court heard.
Sentencing Norris, Judge Rowland said that Norris had also in her possession written notes describing sexual fantasies involving a four-and-a-half year old child and a “New Year’s resolution to have sex with a girl under 10”.
He told the defendant: “It’s all about you Samantha Norris and not the victims. You do not accept they are victims, you have distorted views and you do not feel your offending should be treated as serious – how would a right-minded person think about that? Your views are alarming and complex – you present a high risk of harm to children.”
He added: “It’s pretty blatant to me that you decided not to enter guilty pleas (earlier) as these pleas would have gone in front of the jury of the other matters.”
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