Men convicted of sexually exploiting children

Two men have been convicted of sexual offences against two girls more than 20 years ago.

The two victims in this case were aged just 14 and 15 when the offending began, and both were living in the care system.

During the offending period, between September 1996 and December 1997, Paul Doyle, 64, ran a kissogram and an escort agency from a taxi base in Digbeth, Birmingham. Doyle was convicted of living on the earnings of one of the victims who began working for his agency when she was 14 or 15. Although she received a wage, the money she earned was given straight to Doyle.

Doyle would insist that the women and girls who worked for his agency have sex with him as an initiation. He was convicted of indecently assaulting the second victim.

Anthony Bayliss, 77, was regularly using escort services at the time, driving around Birmingham in his Rolls Royce and claiming to be a successful TV producer. He met the second victim when she was 14 and went on to rape her on two occasions at his home address.

Paul Doyle and Anthony Bayliss (West Midlands Police)

Doyle of, Birmingham, and Bayliss, of Stafford, were prosecuted by the Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) following an investigation by West Midlands Police.

When presented with the large amount of evidence compiled by the prosecution, the jury found the defendants guilty.

Claire Brinton, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “The victims in this case were vulnerable children who had their innocence cruelly stolen by adults who exploited them for sex and money.

“Bayliss and Doyle targeted their victims because they were young. This enabled the defendants to exploit them for their own sexual gratification and financial gain.  

“We would like to extend our thanks to the victims who showed extraordinary bravery in reporting what Bayliss and Doyle did to them. I hope they can find some comfort in knowing that it is because of their evidence, that we have been able to bring these offenders to justice.

“The CPS remains dedicated to pursuing justice for victims of child sexual abuse and will continue to work tirelessly to hold violent sex offenders accountable - no matter how much time has passed since they committed their crimes.”

Superintendent Wes Martin, from West Midlands Police, said: "These were deplorable and inexcusable crimes where vulnerable young girls were trafficked into the West Midlands and sexually exploited.

"Doyle offered the girls for sex while Bayliss paid for sex with an underage girl. 

"I want to thank the women for reporting their abuse many years after the offending and recognise the bravery they have shown.

“We will always take reports of sexual attacks extremely seriously and, no matter how many years have passed, we will thoroughly investigate such offences. We know it can be difficult to talk about such abuse and we have specialist staff who are there to listen and support you.

"We will always seek to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice for their vile actions."

To deal with some of the more complex and challenging child sexual abuse cases, the CPS has a dedicated Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit to share specialist understanding, build strong cases and increase the amount of successful prosecutions.