ANDREW MARSHALL FROM FRISBY-ON-THE-WREAKE JAILED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES

In October 2009, a disturbing case unfolded involving Andrew Marshall, a resident of Frisby-on-the-Wreake, who was convicted of possessing and downloading indecent images of children. The case came to light after a woman, whose identity remains private, took the drastic step of reporting her partner to the police following her discovery of highly disturbing photographs on his computer.

According to her account, her life was shattered upon uncovering the extent of Marshall's activities. She recounted that she initially found indecent images of young girls in December 2007. Despite her confronting Marshall and issuing him two stern warnings to cease his actions, he continued to download such material. Her concerns escalated when her teenage sister inadvertently came across even more shocking images stored on Marshall’s computer, which ultimately prompted her to contact law enforcement authorities.

Marshall, aged 38 at the time, resided on Hall Orchard Lane in Frisby-on-the-Wreake. His actions led to his arrest and subsequent court proceedings. At Leicester Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to ten counts of downloading indecent photographs and a film clip, with the offenses spanning from December 2007 to April 2008. The police investigation revealed that a total of 1,845 indecent images of young girls were found on his computer. These images ranged across all five levels of severity, although the majority were classified at the lowest level, level one, indicating less severe content. Some of the images depicted children being subjected to sexual abuse, highlighting the grave nature of his offenses.

Following the sentencing, the woman, a mother of two sons from a previous relationship, expressed her feelings about the case. She described her initial shock and disbelief upon discovering the images, noting that Marshall had initially denied any wrongdoing. She explained that he manipulated her by claiming that his graphic design work had accidentally led him to access such material while searching for T-shirt designs featuring girls. Despite her suspicions, she chose to give him the benefit of the doubt, although she continued to find more images and was met with a series of excuses from him.

Her breaking point came when her sister opened a file containing the images, which she described as the final straw. She called the police on the day they were scheduled to go on holiday, witnessing Marshall’s arrest at their former home in Wetherby Close, Queniborough. The woman described her feelings of sickness, numbness, and shock upon learning the truth about Marshall’s activities. She also expressed fear, as she realized she had loved a man she thought she knew, who came from a seemingly respectable and caring family. Despite her anger, she stated she bears no ill will towards him but hopes he recognizes his problem and seeks help. She emphasized that child exploitation is not a victimless crime, as viewing such images encourages further abuse and exploitation.

In his defense, Adam Pearson, representing Marshall, argued that his client had no sexual gratification from viewing the images. He claimed that Marshall stumbled upon the images while browsing adult pornography and initially sought them out out of curiosity. Pearson expressed shock at how easily such material could be accessed online. However, Judge Michael Pert QC was unequivocal in his judgment, stating that there is no justification for such behavior. He emphasized that the images involved children being subjected to sexual degradation, not teenagers, and that anyone contributing to such exploitation, regardless of location, is complicit in the abuse.

As a result of his conviction, Marshall was subjected to a five-year sexual offences prevention order, which grants police the authority to monitor his computer use. Additionally, he is required to register as a sex offender for seven years, and his computer equipment was confiscated. The court’s ruling underscores the seriousness of his crimes and the ongoing threat posed by individuals involved in the distribution and possession of child pornography.