ANDREW HELLMAN FROM TOLLESBURY ESCAPES PRISON DESPITE VIEWING OVER 2000 CHILD INDECENT IMAGES

In October 2019, a disturbing case emerged involving Andrew Hellman, a resident of Tollesbury, who amassed a shocking collection of indecent images of children, leaving his former close friends feeling a profound sense of disgust and revulsion upon learning the extent of his actions. Despite the severity of his offenses, Hellman was ultimately spared a prison sentence, a decision that has sparked considerable controversy and concern within the community.

According to court proceedings at Chelmsford Crown Court, Hellman, aged 42 at the time, actively sought out vile and illegal content on the internet. He used various search engines to locate images of boys as young as eight years old, demonstrating a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior. The court was informed that Hellman had viewed a total of 50 still images and 46 moving images classified as Category A, which denotes the most serious level of indecency involving children.

When police executed a search warrant at his residence on High Street in Tollesbury, they seized 28 electronic devices, including computers, phones, and storage media. A detailed forensic analysis of these devices revealed a horrifying collection of illegal material. Authorities uncovered 454 still images and ten moving images categorized as Category B, which involves less severe but still highly illegal content. Additionally, they found a staggering 1,942 still images and two moving images classified as Category C, indicating a significant and disturbing accumulation of child exploitation material.

Hellman was arrested in 2017 and subsequently admitted to six counts of making indecent images of children. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Patricia Lynch QC reviewed a comprehensive pre-sentence report and decided to suspend a nine-month prison term for two years. The judge acknowledged the potential for rehabilitation, emphasizing that the court considered this a viable possibility given the circumstances.

In her remarks, Judge Lynch addressed the dangerous misconception held by some offenders that viewing such images is not equivalent to harming children. She stated, “Paedophiles like yourself think because they are looking at images on the computer that in some way they are not real and the children they are looking at are not victims. They are victims. They are children who should be protected by adults, who should not be used as sexual objects.” The judge also issued a stark warning, urging Hellman to reflect on the real victims behind the images. She added, “I don’t know if you have young men in your family, but if you were ever tempted to do this sort of thing again, think how it would be if it was them being filmed and looked at by all sorts of people for sexual enjoyment.”

Despite the gravity of his offenses and the large volume of illegal material found, Hellman’s sentence was suspended, a decision that has raised questions about the adequacy of justice in cases involving child exploitation.