ALEX FAIRCLOUGH SHOCKS STUDLAND AND WAREHAM WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CRIME

In April 2006, a disturbing case emerged involving Alex Fairclough, a resident of Banks Cottages in Studland, who was convicted of possessing and creating child pornography. The incident sent shockwaves through the local communities of Studland and Wareham, where Fairclough was employed as an IT consultant at Purbeck School in Wareham.

Fairclough, aged 24 at the time of his arrest, was taken into custody after Dorset Police, acting on information received from Scotland Yard, conducted a thorough search of his home. The investigation uncovered a disturbing collection of illegal material, including 308 pornographic images stored on his personal computers, along with several video clips and six printed images depicting minors in explicit situations. These materials ranged in severity from less serious to the most grave, grade five offences.

During the court proceedings at Bournemouth Crown Court, the prosecution, led by Tim Bradbury, detailed the extent of Fairclough’s illegal activities. The defendant admitted to 19 charges of making indecent images and four charges of possessing such images. The images and videos found were described as some of the worst the investigators had encountered in their three-year experience dealing with such cases.

Fairclough’s defense attorney, Joanna Morrissey, argued that her client was in need of psychological help, citing a series of personal tragedies that had affected him deeply. She emphasized that Fairclough had previously been under police scrutiny in 2003, not for offenses involving children but for inappropriate conduct with teenagers aged between 13 and 16, when he was 21 years old. Morrissey also highlighted that there were no issues reported during his employment at Purbeck School and that Fairclough maintained he had no interest in children.

Despite these claims, Judge Roger Jarvis delivered a stern judgment. He described some of the images as “among the worst” he had seen and urged Fairclough to consider the profound distress caused to the victims. The judge stated, “Use your imagination, recognize the distress that has been caused. Just imagine what the lives of these children are like – they must be wretched.” He emphasized that no punishment could undo the harm inflicted but expressed hope that future measures could prevent such depravity.

As part of his sentence, Fairclough was banned from working with or living near children and was ordered to register as a sex offender. The case also drew comments from Detective Constable Mick Rowan, who remarked, “Some of the images were horrific, involving children as young as six months old, and among the worst I have seen in three years of being involved in this sort of work.”

Following his arrest, Richard Holman, the head of Purbeck School, provided a reference to the court. He described Fairclough as “a good-humoured, conscientious, and reliable young man” during his employment from July 2003 until the time of his arrest. Holman clarified that the reference was a factual account of Fairclough’s conduct at work and did not pass judgment on his personal actions, which he found deeply troubling and shameful.