Sentencing date for nursery worker paedophile

A sentencing date for a trio of child abusers - including a nursery worker - was fixed by a judge today.

Vanessa George, 39, and her co-defendants Angela Allen, 39, and Colin Blanchard, 38, pleaded guilty last month to a string of offences of assault and making and distributing indecent images.

Today at Bristol Crown Court, Mr Justice John Royce fixed their sentencing date for 15 December.

George, who worked at Little Ted's Day Care Unit, in her home city of Plymouth, Devon; Allen, from Nottingham; and Blanchard, from Smallbridge, Greater Manchester, did not attend.

The trio were due to be sentenced this Friday but the date was postponed to allow more time for material to be gathered.

George previously admitted seven sexual assaults on children and six counts of distributing and making indecent pictures of children.

Blanchard pleaded guilty to 17 child pornography counts and two sexual assaults on children. He also admitted a further charge of possessing extreme pornography.

Allen pleaded guilty to four child sex assaults and one count of distributing an indecent image.

The abuse for which the three were convicted began in September last year and carried on until this June.

George, Allen and Blanchard subjected their young victims to humiliating sexual abuse involving plastic golf clubs, sex toys and toothbrushes.

They recorded the horrific abuse on their mobile phones and then exchanged the pictures via email - to unprotected accounts including MSN Hotmail - never actually meeting in person.