ALAN SEAMAN FROM YEOVIL FACES JUDGMENT OVER CHILD SEX ABUSE IMAGES IN TAUNTON

In May 2016, a man from Yeovil named Alan Paul Seaman was brought before the courts to face serious charges related to the possession and distribution of indecent images of children. The case drew significant attention due to the disturbing nature of the material involved and the length of time over which the offenses occurred.

Police investigations revealed that Seaman had been in possession of a substantial collection of illicit images and videos, which he stored on a memory card and his mobile phone. These materials were accumulated over a period of approximately four and a half years, indicating a prolonged period of offending. When law enforcement experts examined the devices, they uncovered a disturbing array of images spanning all three categories of severity, from the least to the most serious.

Specifically, Seaman, aged 59 and residing in Penn Hill, pleaded guilty to multiple charges. He admitted to creating and possessing a total of 678 indecent photographs and videos classified as Category A, which denotes the most severe level of abuse material. In addition, he acknowledged two further charges involving 385 images and videos categorized as Category B, and an even larger collection of 1,968 images and videos classified as Category C, representing varying degrees of severity.

During the court proceedings at Somerset Magistrates Court in Yeovil, the magistrates were informed that all these offenses took place within Yeovil itself, between January 20, 2010, and October 22, 2014. Prosecutor Emma Lenanton explained that police had conducted thorough investigations, which included questioning Seaman about the illicit material. She stated, “He was then found in possession of a memory card and mobile phone handset which were interrogated by the officers and found to contain the images and movies,” emphasizing that the material covered all three levels of seriousness, from the most severe Category A to Category C.

Seaman’s defense solicitor, Louise Eaves, acknowledged the volume of images involved in the case and indicated that the matter would need to be transferred to Taunton Crown Court for sentencing. The magistrates agreed, refusing to proceed with sentencing at the magistrates’ level and ordering that the case be sent to the higher court. They scheduled the sentencing hearing for June 3 and ordered a pre-sentence report to be prepared by the Probation Service. In the meantime, Seaman was released on unconditional bail, with the condition that he must sign onto the National Sex Offenders Register within three days of the court hearing, ensuring ongoing monitoring of his activities.