May 2012

Man distributed child abuse images

A HENBURY man who admitted downloading and distributing indecent photos of children has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Peter Blannin was nabbed when authorities in the USA noticed his sordid online activities and contacted UK police, Bristol Crown Court heard.

Investigation of emails sent, linked to him, found one contained a child abuse movie deemed to fall into the second highest category of severity.

Blannin, 46, of Marissal Road, pleaded guilty to distributing and making indecent images of youngsters.

Judge Carol Hagen handed him eight months’ jail, suspended for two years, with supervision and an order to attend the Thames Valley Sex Offenders’ programme. Blannin was told to register as a sex offender for ten years.

She told Blannin: “The offences remain serious. They deal with the obvious exploitation of children. People who download such images often don’t think about that.”

David Hunter, prosecuting, said when police were alerted they obtained a search warrant and visited Blannin’s home in December last year.

He told Bristol Crown Court they seized a computer and floppy discs, recovering 152 indecent child images. A total of 55 were deemed to be at the second highest category of seriousness, including a movie, and two images were deemed to be in the highest bracket.

Blannin was co-operative and fully frank when interviewed, saying he discovered he was gay as a teenager and was not able to tell his elderly father.

Mr Hunter said: “He was socialising with his father in the evenings. He then returned from the pub and went on his computer, seeking out images and seeking, through chat rooms, people of a similar orientation.

“He became hooked and addicted to the pattern of behaviour.

“He didn’t meet people he communicated with.”

Blannin explained he sent a movie three times in a relatively short period and volunteered that, over the last five years, he had sent 40 to 50 images to other individuals.

He said two months before police came to his house his computer developed problems and he took it to PC World.

Though he erased material beforehand, he was expecting to be caught, but he wasn’t and as a consequence most of his stash was deleted and not recoverable by him.

Mr Hunter said Blannin was a man of previous good character.

Jason Taylor, defending, said his client’s prosecution was a “real wake-up call” for him.

Mr Taylor said: “He was somebody living a double life for many, many years.

“He wasn’t happy. He had resolved to try and resolve it and sent his last email in December 2010.

“His New Year resolution for 2011 was ‘I’m not going to do this’ and he carried it through.”