Two people were jailed on 5 June after images and videos of sexual abuse of a girl under 13 was discovered on a mobile phone.

Sarah Summerfield, 30, (09.06.83), unemployed of Langdale Drive, Hayes, and her partner Adrian Eldridge, 38, (11.08.74) unemployed of Hawthorne Crescent, West Drayton, were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court.

Summerfield admitted three counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration and two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 after pleading guilty on 27 January. She was sentenced to six and a half years for each offence – the sentences will run concurrently.

She has been made subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) until further notice and will be a Registered Sex Offender (RSO) for life.

Eldridge was found guilty at the same court after denying three counts of encouraging or assisting the commission of one or more offences (namely sexual assault on a child under 13 by penetration) believing one or more offence would be committed and three counts of encouraging or assisting the commission of one or more offences (namely sexual assault by touching on a child under 13) believing one or more offences would be committed.

He was found guilty of all six counts after a trial and sentenced to ten years imprisonment on each count to run concurrently.

Eldridge was additionally declared a Dangerous Offender and will have his licence extended for a further two years. He too was made subject to SOPO and will remain a RSO for life.

The pair were arrested after Summerfield dropped her mobile phone by accident into a toilet while visiting a friend in July last year.

The friend offered to get the phone fixed and Summerfield accepted. When the device had dried out the friend managed to switch it on and discovered the images and movies of Summerfield sexually abusing a child.

The friend then contacted police. Officers from The Metropolitan Police’s Child Abuse Investigation Team arrested Summerfield and following analysis of her phone arrested Eldridge.

Summerfield and Eldridge had exchanged 3000 text messages. In these Eldridge encouraged Summerfield to commit sexual assaults against the girl.

Detective Sergeant Tony Smith of the Met’s Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: “I hope that the sentences handed down today will reassure the public that the Met takes the investigation of child abuse and sexual offences very seriously and I would encourage anyone who suffered sexual abuse as a child or adult, regardless of how long ago that was, to come forward and speak to us.”