A SENIOR judge has voiced concern about the damage being caused to young minds by freely available online pornography.
Judge Nicholas Barker highlighted the issue as he dealt with the case of a young Carlisle man who - allegedly himself a victim of online sexual grooming when he was a child - developed an "addiction" to indecent images.
The defendant was just 12 or 13 when he became addicted to pornography, which ultimately led him to downloading hundreds of illegal child abuse images when he was aged between 14 and 17, Carlisle Crown Court heard.
Despite him readily admitting his guilt, the defendant’s case was not put before the court for more than three years. Had he not been an alleged victim of sexual grooming, he could have been identified as he is now aged 20.
In court, the defendant pleaded guilty to downloading 860 child abuse images of Category A, the most serious type; 544 of Category B; and 767 of Category C. He also admitted possessing ten extreme pornographic images.
Prosecutor Kim Whittlestone outlined the facts.
She said that the defendant was 14 when he began accessing the illegal abuse images and he had just turned 17 when the offending was discovered. Police raided his home following a tip off from the National Crime Agency.
He immediately admitted his guilt, the court heard.
Miss Whittlestone said the then teenager was storing the illegal images in a cloud storage facility. Defence lawyer Andrew Gurney said a background report revealed that the defendant was aged 12 when he was groomed online to commit sex acts.
Judge Nicholas Barker expressed concern about the delay in bringing the case to court, pointing out that he had raised the issue – of juveniles reaching adulthood before their cases are concluded - with Cumbria’s Chief Constable.
Such cases should be flagged up and resources made available so that the prosecution can be expedited, he said.
Addressing the defendant, Judge Barker said: “You have indicated to the probation officer that you were 12 or 13 when you began to access pornography online – to the extent that you describe yourself as addicted to it.
“This is a common scourge of society today for young people, adolescent males, typically, who I suspect have ready and free access to the internet and unbridled access to pornography, often pornography which is not in itself illegal.
“But [it is] pornography which displays highly graphic sexual conduct, which is in itself disturbing and how that impacts on young adolescent minds is something which is of great concern. You were just such a vulnerable young adolescent.”
The defendant suffers from ADHD, depression and is on the autistic spectrum; he had also self-harmed, said the judge.
Judge Barker continued: “What you failed to recognise as a youth was that it is a crime which has victims.” By viewing such disgusting imagery, offenders are fuelling the sexual abuse of children, with far-reaching effects.
The judge noted that the defendant had engaged with the Stop It Now programme, designed to prevent such behaviour. He also now had emotional support within a settled relationship.
Noting the defendant’s youth, his early admissions, and the “significant” delay in the case – more than three years – the judge imposed a 24-month community order. This includes 15 rehabilitation activity days and 120 hours of unpaid work.
The defendant will be on the Sex Offender Register for five years. He will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.
Of the delay in the case, the judge added: “The simple fact is that when a young person such as you is apprehended there is a requirement on the police to investigate them and process them expeditiously, in a way which is appropriate to the age of the defendant and that was simply not done in this case.
“Resources were not allocated, decisions not made, so you now fall to be sentenced by me as a 20-year-old. You should have been before the court as a 17-year-old.”
The defendant can not be identified because the law forbids this when a person is the victim of an alleged sexual offence, whether proven or not, including the online child sexual grooming mentioned in this case.
The Stop It Now confidetial helpline is 0808 1000 900. Helpful information is also available from IWF, the Internet Watch Foundation.
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