Police Say Man Videotaped Sexual Abuse Of Girl

DAVID OWENS

The Hartford Courant

ROCKVILLE — - A man charged Tuesday in connection with a child sexual abuse and pornography case in Stafford had videotaped the sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl, according to a warrant for his arrest.

Stephen A. Turkington, 60, who lived in Manchester but most recently resided with his mother in the Moodus section of East Haddam, was charged Tuesday with two counts of employing a minor in an obscene performance and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.

Turkington was spotted on video that investigators say showed Craig Niles, 60, of Stafford, sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl who had been placed in his home by a foster care agency. The girl was a ward of the state Department of Children and Families.

Investigators seized computers when they raided Niles' home in Stafford last month. Though Niles had succeeded in scrubbing his computers of incriminating evidence, officials said, investigators found thumb drives with images and videos depicting the abuse.

Niles, according to the warrant for his arrest, broadcast those videos and images to others via the Internet.

According to the warrant for Turkington's arrest, Niles referred to the person taping him abusing the girl as Steve. While watching the video, investigators also saw snippets of the clothing that the man named Steve was wearing.

In interviews with the girl and with Niles' wife, investigators were able to get more information about the man and eventually tracked him down. In an interview with state police detectives, Turkington admitted that he took video of Niles abusing the girl. He insisted, however, that he did not touch the girl.

Turkington described in detail the abuse he witnessed and videotaped, and told the detectives that Niles said he could trade the video online.

Turkington said he contemplated turning in Niles, whose web chat name was "KidsR4Sex," to police, but didn't after talking to another friend who told him that by videotaping the abuse he'd implicated himself in Niles' crimes. Turkington also said he went along with the hope that Niles would charge him less for the barn he rented on Niles' property.

Turkington, who told the detectives that he has Asperger's syndrome, an autistic spectrum disorder, also described Niles' trips to Thailand. He said Niles suggested they travel together to Thailand, where they could meet a "mama san" who would arrange for them to have sex with 13- and 14-year-old girls. Niles made several trips, but Turkington said he never went.

Niles remains jailed with bail set at $750,000. Turkington is jailed with bail set at $250,000.