BARRIE CARTON FROM DONNINGTON SENTENCED FOR CHILD INDECENCY IMAGES IN TELFORD

In August 2020, a man from Donnington, named Barrie David Carton, was sentenced to over five years in prison after being found guilty of possessing nearly 3,000 indecent images of children and engaging in online discussions about child abuse. The court proceedings revealed disturbing details about Carton’s activities spanning from 2015 to 2019.

Carton, aged 45, was employed as a restaurant manager and was known to be a user of cocaine. Investigations uncovered that he had viewed, shared, and discussed images depicting children being abused. He also expressed intentions in online chats about sneaking into a child's bedroom to commit abuse himself, although it was confirmed that he did not physically carry out any abuse. His employment history includes a decade-long tenure with the Ministry of Defence, which added a layer of concern given his access to sensitive environments.

The police action against Carton was initiated last year when authorities traced his IP address to illegal online activity. A raid was conducted at his residence in Donnington, where law enforcement officers seized a mobile phone and a MacBook. Forensic analysis of these devices uncovered a shocking collection of nearly 3,000 images and videos, some of which depicted children as young as newborns and as old as 15 years old being subjected to abuse. Prosecutor Mr. Tim Ashmole detailed to Shrewsbury Crown Court that the material included both images and videos, and that Carton had actively shared these with others.

Further investigations revealed that Carton engaged in conversations with three other individuals about sexual activities involving children. In one particular WhatsApp chat, he explicitly mentioned plans to