2000 Indecent Images And Given Probation, Did He Get Off Lightly?

[sandyRoe]

What were the sentencing options available to the judge?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-23136711

[daffy654]

I think the fact the images were mainly of a lower level of offence and he hadn't viewed them for several years would have been mitigating factors. I think he got off lightly, but then I would jail everyone who deliberately viewed child abuse images if I were a judge.
Thankfully I am not.

[Rosetta]

not relating to this specifically, do these people not realise that by downloading, they are creating a market for this vile perversion

[ummmm]

Rosetta - clearly they 'want' a market for their perversions.

[hc4361]

He deleted them in 2008 and had not attempted to look at them since then; he admitted the offences straight away; fined £2000; he must undertake a series of programmes; 3 years' probation; computers destroyed; no contact with any child under 18 for 8 years without supervision; must allow police to access any of his computers at any time.

Bit more than just 'probation', don't you think?

[Gromit]

Of the 2000+ images he downloaded, only 17 were indecent and it was those that were the basis of his prosecution. He was also fined £2000 for pocessing level 4 images (not inecent ones).

He seems to have tried to delete them. He did not store them, re-look at them, distribute them or go to those sites again. So I do not think he is a monster. He made a mistake and the sentence is about right.

[Peter Pedant]

level four - well that sounz pretty awful

is level one - - - eek ! or is it - grainy photo of kiddie-pops tv prog from twnety years ago ( a tee vee prog heavily criticised at the time for sexualising kiddies) ?

and there is summit called a copine scale which says
level 4 : Deliberately posed pictures of children fully clothed, partially clothed or naked (where the amount, context and organization suggests sexual interest).

so I think the sentence may be just

[sandyRoe]

And I suppose he'll lose the respect of his charges. The prisoners he oversees will never view him in the same light again

[Booldawg]

seems strange he was under surveillance being as he'd not viewed any of the images since 2008?