‘Sinister’ female paedophile who abused nursery children to be released from prison

A female paedophile who operated as part of a “sickening ring” of child abusers is set to be released next month, the Parole Board has confirmed.

Angela Allen was part of a ring including three other women, who were convinced by IT consultant Colin Blanchard to share photographs of themselves abusing children.

Mother-of-one Allen received an indeterminate sentence in 2009 with a minimum term of five years, after pleading guilty to four child sex assaults and one count of making and distributing an indecent image.

After her release, Allen, from Nottingham, will be subject to strict licence conditions including polygraph testing, a curfew, restrictions on her contact with children, and adherence with “exclusion zones” to prevent contact with her victims.

The paedophile ring included Vanessa George, who took photographs of herself abusing children at the Plymouth nursery where she worked, alongside Tracy Lyons and Tracy Dawber. All five were jailed for their part in what prosecutors described as “one of the most sickening paedophile rings this country has seen”.

The ring was exposed after an investigation spanning five police forces. It was launched when Blanchard’s business partner found images of abuse on his laptop.

During the investigation, Det Supt Adrian Pearson of Nottinghamshire police said Allen was a “sinister and evil individual” who had “not shed a tear of remorse”.

According to police, Allen was unemployed and living “on the fringes of society” in a run-down house without any furniture. She met Blanchard online in 2008.

The Parole Board report said that Allen had been in “unsuitable relationships” at the time, and had developed “inappropriate ways of thinking” due to social isolation and low self-esteem. It also said that she drank excessive amounts of alcohol and had used illegal drugs.

Allen has previously been held in an open prison and undertaken voluntary community work, and had been allowed temporary releases from prison. The report stated that she had built “constructive relationships” with officials and had a “good attitude” to work in custody.

The move comes after nursery worker George was released from prison in September last year, despite refusing to reveal the scale of her abuse or the identities of her victims. Among other restrictions, she was banned from entering Devon and Cornwall and from owning a device with access to the internet.

A spokesperson for the Parole Board confirmed that they had directed the release of Allen after an oral hearing last month.

“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on whether a prisoner would represent a significant risk to the public after release,” the spokesperson said. “The panel will have carefully looked at a whole range of evidence, including details of the original evidence and any evidence of behaviour change.

“We do that with great care and public safety is our number one priority,” the spokesperson added.