January 2015

Tip-off catches paedophile with child sexual abuse videos rated at most indecent level – No prison

A HULL man has been caught with hundreds of indecent videos and images of children after an investigation by a national crime body.

Phillip Pocklington, 54, was found with 172 videos, 79 of which were deemed to fall within Category A – the most serious level.

Prosecutor Glenn Parsons told Hull Crown Court yesterday how an address in Merlin Close, Sutton, east Hull, had come to the attention of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) on December 21, 2013.

Mr Parsons explained that an internet connection from that address, where Pocklington lived, was being used to access indecent images of children and animals.

He said: “On March 9, 2014, he (Pocklington) was at home when officers from Humberside Police arrived. They searched the premises and found computer hardware.”

As well as the videos, which were found in digital folders, officers recovered 5,405 indecent photographs that had been downloaded, viewed and then deleted.

Mr Parsons said: “Mr Pocklington was arrested. He accepted that he did use a peer-to-peer sharing website.

“He said he did come across photographs of children when using the website, but deleted them.”

Pocklington, who was of previous good character, pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court on December 19 to 12 counts of possessing indecent images and extreme pornography.

Richard Thompson, mitigating, said it was accepted by the Crown that his client had not specifically searched for indecent material involving children, but had been sent it along with adult pornography.

“He was searching for adult pornography and indeed there was a large quantity found on his computer,” said Mr Thompson. “He accepts that over a period of time it crossed into viewing this illegal material and he has taken steps to address this.”

Mr Thompson said Pocklington had, of his own volition, cut his home internet access to prevent himself from being tempted to view indecent images.

The lawyer said most of the material related to children aged 12 to 15, rather than “very young children”.

He said Pocklington had been under the false impression that it was legal to view pornography showing 16 to 18-year-olds.

Judge Mark Bury said Pocklington had downloaded child abuse images as a “byproduct” of searching for material involving adults.

Sentencing him to eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months, Judge Bury told Pocklington: “We take these offences very seriously because for each image that is produced there will be someone who has been abused.

“While there are people such as you who visit these sites, there will always be a market for these images.”

Pocklington was given a seven-year sexual offences prevention order that requires him to allow police to view any electronic device that can be used to store material, or view the internet.

He was also told he is prohibited from deleting the internet history on devices and was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for eight years.

In addition, Pocklington must complete 200 hours of unpaid work.