Published date: 30 August 2016 |
Published by: Staff reporterRead more articles by Staff reporterEmail reporter
A KITCHEN fitter who downloaded indecent images of children some years before his arrest was embarrassed and ashamed and had been unable to continue with his work, a court was told.
David Halliwell, 49, of Marian, Flint, was sent on an internet sex offender programme when he appeared at Mold Crown Court.
Judge David Hale said that for some time the defendant had an interest in looking at photographs of young children.
“It is fair that it should be pointed out that few if any images involved the sexual abuse of children,” the judge said.
The photographs showed an unhealthy approach but it was only right that it should be made clear that they were not the usual more graphic images.
Even so, it was a prurient interest in young children which he had never taken beyond looking at the images and it was something he himself had recognised was unhealthy.
There was no evidence that he had looked at them for over two years.
Judge Hale placed him on three years supervision with the internet programme which he said was onerous.
Halliwell was placed on the sex offender register for five years and a five-year sexual harm prevention order was also made.
Halliwell admitted a total of 11 charges including distribution, possessing and making indecent images.
Prosecutor David Mainstone told how police executed a warrant at his home and more than 2,700 images were found, mainly in the less serious category C.
A total of 62 movies were found and all but one was category C.
They depicted young children posed and naked, the youngest being aged eight.
But of the images only 76 were accessible and only one movie was accessible.
He made significant admissions in interview. He said he started talking to groups of people on the Internet about “things in general” and one thing led to another.
The defendant said he found himself looking for images of children, and in order to access material owned by others, he would be asked to upload his own pictures which he did – and that led to the charge of distribution.
Halliwell, a man of good character, was said by his barrister Myles Wilson to have been very open and honest with the police and the probation service.
He acknowledged the harm such offences caused and that he could be sent to prison.
Mr Wilson said that the defendant began to open up in his interview with the probation service and despite it being an embarrassing subject to talk about had admitted that he found the images arousing.
The last download took place a couple of years before his arrest and the search terms had been used between 2009 and 2011 when he was single.
He was now in a relationship, did not want to go back to committing such offences and was an ideal candidate for the internet sex offender course.
Mr Wilson said the defendant was embarrassed and ashamed having to tell his family and friends, his name had been published in a local newspaper, his neighbours had found out and it had made him ill with worry.
He could not work as a kitchen fitter which was something he had done all his life.
“It has been a disaster for him,” Mr Wilson explained.
Halliwell had admitted more than what the police could prove and that had led to the distribution charge.
see-http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/166049/flint-kitchen-fitter-had-unhealthy-interest-in-naked-children.aspx
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