A former Kent police officer who subjected an ‘extremely vulnerable’ teenager to a series of rapes after he met her on social media using the name ‘British Bobby’ has been jailed for 21 years.
Mark Lindow, who worked for Kent Police for 14 years and had dealt with border control at the Channel Tunnel, ‘sexually exploited and groomed’ the 16-year-old girl against a background of ‘blackmail and threats’ after she shared nude photos of herself online, a court heard.
On one occasion the 61-year-old invited a friend – Kurt Baker – to join them at a Travelodge in what the prosecution described as a ‘quid pro quo’ for Lindow having had sex with a partner of Baker’s on an earlier occasion.
Baker, 39 years old, then raped her, an intelligent girl with learning disabilities, as Lindow, a married father, filmed.
Lindow was found guilty in Folkestone (Kent) of five counts – one for making an indecent photograph of a child and one for distributing an inappropriate photo – all of which were committed last January through August.
He pleaded guilty to two charges of taking indecent photographs of children before his trial.
Baker was from Gravesend (Kent) and was sentenced for three counts of rape on August 7, 2013. He will serve 12 years in prison.
Mark Lindow (pictured) was found guilty in Folkestone, Kent of five counts, including making an indecent image of a child. The other count is one of distribution an indecent picture. All of these crimes were committed between January 2013 and August 2014. After 14 years in the police force, he resigned in 2015.
On one occasion the 61-year-old invited a friend – Kurt Baker (pictured) – to join him and his victim at a Travelodge in what the prosecution described as a ‘quid pro quo’ for Lindow having had sex with a partner of Baker’s on an earlier occasion. Baker, 39, then raped and filmed Lindow, a married father of two, as the girl was suffering from learning difficulties.
After a person of the public reported that a woman had been seen walking in the River Medway, Chatham, Kent in August 2013, horrifying details were revealed.
After being found in distress, she revealed to Lindow (17ft2in) that he had repeatedly abused and raped her. He even recorded it during their first meeting.
Maidstone Crown Court heard Lindow had initially spoken to his victim through the Kik platform on which the former cop, who had left the force in 2015, used the names ‘Bobby’ and ‘Britishbobby50’.
The ‘vulnerable and naive’ teenager told police he not only forced her to have sex with him on several occasions but was violent if she refused.
He also referred to her as his ‘slave’, left love bites on her breasts, and said he wanted her to tell people he ‘owned’ her.
At Lindow’s sentencing hearing on Friday, Judge Julian Smith was told Lindow had also been investigated over allegations he engaged in sexual communication on Kik with someone he believed to be a 12-year-old girl but was in fact ‘a decoy’ police officer.
But, Lindow, who was identified via his Skype username, was told that he would soon be taken into custody and that his phone would be seized. Instead, he went to police and gave it back, explaining that he had misplaced it.
Daniel Stevenson, the prosecutor said that while there was no additional action taken against Lindow, it is important for the court to consider the allegation when considering whether Lindow poses a serious risk of harming the public.
Baker was arrested as a result of images of his distinctive tattoos, taken from the footage on Lindow’s phone, being released by Kent Police in a media appeal.
Judge Smith said the victim, having been subjected to ‘corruption and brutalisation’, was then ‘deliberately targeted and controlled’ by Lindow.
He added that the teenager’s extreme vulnerabilities would have been ‘overwhelmingly obvious’ as he ‘dominated, intimidated and degraded’ her, including ‘offering’ her to Baker.
Judge Smith stated, “Neither of them saw her as human beings but as an opportunity to obtain sexual satisfaction.”
Judge Lindow found Lindow to be a threat to the public, and ordered that he serve two-thirds of his 21-year sentence in prison before he could apply for parole.
He will also be granted an extra five-year license period after he has been released.
At their trial in September, Mr Stevenson told the court the teenager became the victim of a ‘concerted campaign of child sexual exploitation, humiliation and blackmail’ after she had shared explicit photos and videos of herself online.
She was warned that she could be exposed if they did not provide more explicit footage.
The prosecutor said although those responsible had not been identified, one of them had ‘introduced’ Lindow to the girl in late 2019.
But instead of helping her, he treated her as his ‘sexual object’, the court heard.
He made her have sex with him. Stevenson claimed that Stevenson made her perform things she was not interested in.
“He struck her. She was his sexual object. He called her his slave. He was not making her do what he wanted.
“Unfortunately she was unable to escape the predicament she was in.
“On the last occasion Mr Lindow invited Kurt Baker (the second defendant) along to have some sex.
The girl told the authorities that she repeatedly said ‘no’ to Lindow’s sexual demands but was forced to do them. The girl also said that she told Lindow her age.
Stevenson continued: “She claimed that Bobby had not told her what she would get when they met, but that he did say he was going for her.
‘She felt she didn’t have a choice…Bobby told her that he owned her, which meant that she had to do whatever he wanted.’
Maidstone Crown Court (pictured) heard Lindow had initially spoken to his victim through the Kik platform on which the former cop, who had left the force in 2015, used the names ‘Bobby’ and ‘Britishbobby50’
After her arrest, both men stated that they thought she was 17-18 years old and had given their consent to any sexual activity.
However, the prosecutor told the jury of nine men and three women that her ‘unquestionable vulnerability and naivety was clear to see’.
Lindow was detained in January of this year.
Police analysed his phone and found evidence that he had a sexual desire for young women. They also discovered semi-naked photographs of the victim as well as three explicit videos about the hotel rape, which were stored in an app with a passcode.
His internet history revealed search terms including ‘schoolgirl f***ed by teacher’, ‘tiny t*ts video’, and ‘amateur girl had sex in the hotel’.
Nerida Harford-Bell, defending Lindow, said he had since shown ‘some degree of remorse’ and accepted he ‘took advantage’.
Baker told police after his arrest that the hotel incident was ‘usual submissive/dominant role-play’, with Lindow ‘controlling the situation’.
He said the girl did not say ‘no’ or tell him to stop.
His phone however later revealed he had sent a bragging Facebook message to a friend during the hotel incident, crudely describing how the girl had ‘hated’ what he had done to her.
Baker did not give evidence in court, but Mr Stevenson said he had shown ‘utter indifference’ to the girl and was ‘solely interested in his own satisfaction’.
The jury was told that, on being charged with rape, he asked the officer ‘What am I supposed to do? Ask her?’.
Lee Sergent, defending, told the court Baker had shown ‘a reckless disregard’ for the victim.
In a letter he wrote to the judge, Baker said he wanted to ‘apologise profusely’ to the teenager but blamed Lindow, adding: ‘I lay my trust in the wrong people for a short time on that one day.’
Kent Police Superintendent Keith Roberts said that the two men had subjected the victim to the most severe form of abuse and exploitation. She was brave enough to come forward to report it to them. She was completely humiliated and they knew exactly what she was doing.
“Despite clear evidence that they were guilty of the offending, they chose not to go to trial.
“Officers and Detectives of our Missing and Child Exploitation Team made every effort to support the victim in this case and they will do so again.
“It is a relief that we are now able to secure justice, and that such dangerous men cannot target any other victims,” he said.