A former civil servant has been jailed for six years for trafficking young girls for sex after plying them with cocaine at his home in York.
Timothy Jarrett, 45, a former military man, gave the teenagers drugs and alcohol before “gratiuitously degrading” them, York Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Aimilia Katsoulakis said that Jarrett would pick the girls up in his silver Mercedes and then drive them to his home where he gave them cocaine, ketamine, Ecstasy and champagne.
Police were alerted to Jarrett’s depraved behaviour after one of the young victims told the authorities that a man in his 40s had offered her drugs “in exchange for sexual activity”.
She said there were two such incidents, one of which was at Jarrett’s home in May last year when he picked her up in his Mercedes, took her back to his home and offered her and two other teenagers – a teenage boy and a girl – cocaine, ketamine and MDMA.
They took the drugs and alcohol, but on this occasion there was no sexual activity and she went home in a taxi.
The girl told police that Jarrett had talked to her about “cocaine fun”, added Ms Katsoulakis.
The two other teenagers were also offered and took cocaine and champagne at Jarrett’s house where the former civil servant told them: “It’s free, so make the most of it.”
Drug addict Jarrett then got in his Mercedes with one of the teenagers in the passenger seat and went looking for the girl who had left in the Uber cab, but she couldn’t be found, leaving Jarrett alone at his home with the other girl.
She was sitting on his sofa, undressed, when Jarrett snorted a line of cocaine off an intimate part of her body while filming it on his phone.
He kept badgering her for sex and the girl eventually agreed to kiss him and inhale cocaine from an intimate part of his body. He then ordered her a taxi home.
Snorted cocaine at Monks Cross
On another occasion, Jarrett picked up the other girl from her home in his Mercedes and drove them out to the Monks Cross shopping centre on the outskirts of York, where he stopped the car and brought out a chopping board on which they snorted a line of cocaine.
“He told (the girl) she could repay him for the drugs and alcohol and ‘cocaine fun’,” said Ms Katsoulakis
The girl said the defendant asked her to inhale cocaine from an intimate part of his body, which she did.
The girl then performed a sexual act on Jarrett at his behest.
Ms Katsoulakis said that Jarrett filmed the act and insisted that the girl wear a hat to obscure her face. He then snorted cocaine off her back.
He then drove the girl to his home where he gave her more cocaine and champagne and asked her to snort cocaine from an intimate part of his body before they had sex.
He had installed cameras around the house to film the acts and again asked her to wear a hat to obscure her face in the videos.
He later showed the other girl the video of him having sex with the other victim, who eventually blocked him on social media and ceased all contact with him.
Jarret was arrested in June last year when police seized various devices from his home.
They found a “large quantity” of indecent images of children on the devices including videos rated Category A – the worst kind of such material depicting the sexual abuse of children.
Some of the sordid shots involved the two victims and others were downloaded from the internet.
Forensic officers found he had also distributed some of the disturbing images, including the depraved videos featuring the girls, to two like-minded men.
Admitted 16 offences
Jarrett, of Flaxman Croft, Copmanthorpe, was quizzed by police on at least two occasions without owning up to his crimes but in April this year he contacted the senior investigating officer saying he “wanted to confess”.
He ultimately admitted 16 separate offences including two counts of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation – essentially people-trafficking – between April and June last year.
The three victims – the two girls, and a teenage boy who wasn’t involved in any sexual activity but who did take drugs offered to him by Jarrett – can’t be named for legal reasons.
Jarrett also admitted making 76 indecent images of a child including 34 photos and videos rated Category A.
In addition, he admitted distributing four indecent images of a child, including two videos rated Category A.
He also admitted taking indecent images of the girls, namely three Category A videos and one Category B photo between May and June 2024.
In addition, he admitted offering to supply Class A and B drugs to the teenagers between April and June last year.
‘Gratuitous degradation’
The burly ex-army man appeared for sentence today (Tuesday, 28 October) after being granted court bail.
His solicitor Neil Cutte said that Jarrett had lived a previously “law-abiding and very responsible life, with very responsible employment in the armed forces and the civil service”.
“It is tragic what he has done to his life and he’s now going to pay the price for that,” added Mr Cutte.
“He has ruined his life and the way he sees things…is that there is no way forward. He can’t face his family because of what he’s done; he can’t face members of the public. He rather wishes he was dead.”
He said that Jarrett’s addiction to drugs at the time of his egregious behaviour was such that he “wasn’t thinking clearly”. He had been suffering with severe depression which had been confirmed by a diagnosis of depressive disorder, exacerbated by substance abuse.
Judge Simon Hickey said that Jarrett had essentially trafficked the girls for sexual exploitation over a month-long period and described the victims as “particularly vulnerable”.
He said that Jarrett had subjected them to “gratuitous degradation” while they were “drugged or intoxicated with alcohol”.
He said that Jarrett had previously led “an exemplary life serving your country in the army” before falling into the grip of drug addiction and debauchery.
He told the disgraced former civil servant: “You were suffering from some kind of severe depression and that could explain why you indulged in what you did, but of course if you choose to ingest drugs, the consequences you must bear.”
Jarrett was handed a six-year jail sentence but was told he would likely serve less than half of that behind bars before being released on prison licence. He was also made subject to a 10-year restraining order banning him from contacting or approaching the two girls.
Victims’ bravery praised
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Jenna Hallewell, of North Yorkshire Police’s York and Selby Safeguarding Investigation Team, said: “Jarrett is a predatory offender who has targeted vulnerable girls to abuse for his own sexual gratification.
“The victims have been very brave in giving evidence that thankfully led to Jarrett pleading guilty and sparing them the experience of appearing in court. Their evidence has led to a sexual predator being taken off the streets.
“We urge anyone who is the victim of sexual abuse to please come forward – no matter when it happened. We have specially trained officers and work with partner agencies who can provide support and access to specialist services.
“If you prefer not to speak to us in the first instance, you can contact Acer House, North Yorkshire’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre.”
