IT’S unlikely that many people would agree with the view of solicitor Anne Brown in her assessment of the crimes of Tim Stephens.

Mitigating on his behalf at Bournemouth Crown Court yesterday, she described them as “pathetic as opposed to predatory, desperate rather than dangerous.”

The solicitor was doing her job in putting forward the best case available to her.

But one look at Stephens’ sickening catalogue of offences shows that prison is where he belongs.

There’s nothing simply ‘pathetic’ about them at all.

On the scale of sex offenders, it is obvious that the former karate instructor is not at the top of the list.

But as we have said many times, low grade offenders such as Stephens help to fuel the global, multi billion pound child sex offending industry.

It’s a fact that we would all do well to remember.