ANTHONY OATES OF SANTON JAILED IN CONNECTION WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN JULY 2017

In July 2017, Anthony Mark Oates was sentenced to prison after being found in possession of nearly 3,000 indecent images of children. The police uncovered the material following Oates’s separation from his wife and his departure from their marital home. He had moved in with his mother, leaving behind several computer devices, which were later confiscated after authorities received a tip-off.

Oates, aged 56, pleaded guilty to ten counts of possessing obscene images of children, amounting to a total of 2,912 photographs. Court proceedings revealed that 51 of these images were of a particularly serious nature, although the majority were considered less severe.

While admitting to downloading the images, Oates claimed to police that he had done so approximately 10 to 15 years earlier out of curiosity. His defense attorney, Roger Kane, told the court that Oates was deeply ashamed of his actions. Kane argued that, although the sheer volume of the images exceeded the custody threshold, a suspended sentence combined with a supervision order would be appropriate.

He emphasized, ’The damage done to children who are coerced and exploited to produce images is immeasurable, and each time such images are viewed, kept, or shared—over which the child has no control—that child is victimized again.’ Kane also noted, ’It is impossible to quantify the harm suffered by victims of such offending.’

The defense highlighted that the offense was aggravated by the large number of images, but pointed out that the risk of Oates reoffending was low. The presiding Deemster, Montgomerie, rejected pleas for a suspended sentence and sentenced Oates to six months’ immediate custody. The court also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of all hard drives and CDs containing the images.

Upon release, Oates will be subject to a two-year extended license period. He is also mandated to participate in a sexual offenders’ treatment program, will remain on the Sexual Offenders’ Register for five years, and will be subject to a five-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order.