CHRISTOPHER MCCOY SENTENCED IN SALE FOR SHARING INDECENT IMAGES

In April 2011, Christopher McCoy, a convicted sex offender from Magnolia Close, Ashton on Mersey, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court for his role in sharing indecent images using Sale Library.

McCoy, aged 52, pleaded guilty to 23 charges, which included making indecent photographs of children, possessing indecent photographs with intent to distribute, and distributing such images. In addition to his prison term, he received an order banning him from using the internet or any devices capable of accessing it indefinitely.

McCoy’s criminal history includes a previous three and a half-year sentence handed to him in 2004 after admitting to over 20 similar offences. He was also registered for life as a sex offender.

Despite his earlier incarceration, McCoy was re-arrested in October 2010 as he was leaving Sale Library. Officers found a USB stick on him containing 130 indecent photographs. During investigations into a separate child abuse case, authorities discovered McCoy was exploiting library computers to share indecent images.

The police uncovered indecent emails and photographs linked to an email address accessed through servers connected to public computers at Trafford Council libraries. The council’s IT security team identified the user, and when this email address was accessed again on October 8, 2010, they notified the police.

Following this, officers responded by arresting McCoy as he was leaving Sale Library. Investigative Support Officer Ian Addison emphasized the broader impact of such activities: "The actions of people like McCoy may encourage physical sexual abuse; they can also fuel the whole industry. This case illustrates that we work closely with other police forces and partner agencies. We are grateful to the tenacious efforts of Trafford Borough Council during this investigation."