BARRY WARD FROM DEREHAM SENTENCED AFTER DOWNLOAD OF CHILD INDECENT IMAGES IN NORWICH

In November 2019, a serious case involving Barry Ward, a resident of Dereham, came to light when police uncovered a disturbing collection of indecent images of children stored on his electronic devices. Ward, aged 65, faced charges after authorities seized a total of 12 devices during a search, revealing that he had downloaded 40 such illicit images. The Norwich Crown Court heard that among these images, eight were classified in the most severe category, with one depicting a child as young as three to five years old, highlighting the disturbing nature of the material involved.

Prosecutor Duncan O’Donnell detailed that Ward’s search history indicated systematic and deliberate efforts to find indecent content involving minors. This pattern of behavior underscored the seriousness of the case, although Ward admitted to downloading the illegal images. His legal representative, barrister Jonathan Goodman, emphasized that Ward was a professional photographer with a career spanning over four decades. Goodman requested that some of the hundreds of lawful and innocuous images stored on Ward’s devices, which he described as representing his life's work, be returned to him.

He explained to the court, “He is a photographer and there are 40 years worth of images, which is essentially his life’s work.” Goodman further asked if an expert, whose address was not disclosed but who was reportedly staying with Ward’s sister in Dereham, could identify the photographs that Ward wished to retain before the devices were destroyed. The intention was to preserve some of Ward’s legitimate photographic work.

Judge Andrew Shaw granted Ward a period of 14 days to reach an agreement with police regarding which images could be kept, emphasizing that police resources should not be unduly burdened in sorting through the collection. Ultimately, Ward was sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years, and was ordered to undergo one-on-one probation support. The judge issued a stark warning, stating that viewing indecent images of children fuels the market for child sexual abuse, and reminded Ward that “for every indecent image of a child, there is a victim.”

While acknowledging that the number of images was at the lower end of the spectrum and that Ward was experiencing mental health issues, Judge Shaw also imposed a sexual harm prevention order. This order will monitor Ward’s computer usage and restrict his access to online content. Additionally, Ward was placed on the sex offender register for a period of ten years, with the court making it clear that regular checks would be conducted. Given Ward’s apparent computer expertise, authorities intend to closely supervise his activities to prevent further offenses.