BASIL AL CAUGHT IN STREET WITH CHILD ABUSE IMAGES AND HIDDEN SEARCH HISTORY

In May 2022, a disturbing case unfolded involving Basil Al, a 68-year-old man residing on Silver Road in Street, who was found to be involved in serious child exploitation offences. The police executed a surprise visit to his residence, which ultimately led to the discovery of his illicit activities and a breach of his existing legal restrictions.

During the police visit on February 22, 2022, officers requested to examine Al's electronic devices. The suspect handed over his mobile phone, which contained an application called 'DuckDuckGo.' This particular app is known for not retaining search history, a feature often exploited by individuals seeking to conceal their online activities. Although no explicit images or videos were immediately visible on the device, the presence of this app was enough to constitute a breach of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) that had been imposed on him previously.

Further investigation revealed a hard drive connected to his bedroom television. When police examined this device, they uncovered a disturbing collection of indecent images and videos involving children. The number of illicit files exceeded 1,000, including some categorized as the most serious level of abuse, involving children as young as four years old. The material depicted severe sexual abuse, and the sheer volume of content indicated a persistent pattern of offending.

Al-Mudalal's criminal history is extensive. He has prior convictions for possessing indecent images of children and has served time in prison for such offences. Notably, he was placed under the SHPO in 2017, which was meant to restrict his access to devices that could be used to view or download illegal material. Despite these restrictions, police found evidence that he continued to access and possess such material.

Prosecutor Mr. Paul Grumbar stated that Al-Mudalal's actions on February 22, 2022, constituted a clear breach of his legal obligations. Although his phone did not contain images at the time of the search, the installation of the 'DuckDuckGo' app was a violation of his SHPO. The police also discovered a hard drive with a vast collection of illegal content, which was deemed highly serious.

Al-Mudalal was charged with three counts of possessing indecent images of children and breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He admitted to these offences in court. The case was heard at Taunton Crown Court, where Judge James Townsend sentenced him to 26 months in prison. The judge emphasized that Al-Mudalal remains a significant risk to the community, citing his history and the nature of the material found. Despite completing a sex offender rehabilitation program, probation reports assessed him as a high risk of reoffending and unlikely to be manageable within the community.

Judge Townsend remarked, “You’ve been convicted yet again of possessing images of serious child abuse. Quite clearly, they were viewed by you until recently. It was a very large number of images involving a significant number of victims. You have previously offended in precisely this way and continue to offend. Probation services have little confidence that future intervention is likely to stop you offending. You have attended the Horizon programme but further work is unlikely to achieve much.”

As part of his sentence, Al-Mudalal will serve half of his term in prison, with the remaining time on licence. He will also remain subject to the SHPO and be registered as a sex offender for the next ten years, ensuring ongoing monitoring and restrictions to prevent further offences. This case highlights the ongoing challenges law enforcement faces in combating online child exploitation and the importance of strict legal measures to protect vulnerable victims.