DUNKESWELL DIVER COLIN LEE JAILED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGE DISTRIBUTION IN EAST DEVON

In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community of Dunkeswell and the wider East Devon area, Colin Lee, a 36-year-old diver from Culme Way, Dunkeswell, has been sentenced to prison after being found guilty of distributing highly disturbing and illegal images of child abuse over the internet.

Lee’s arrest was the culmination of a comprehensive police operation that was part of a nationwide investigation initiated by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. The authorities executed a dawn raid on his residence, aiming to apprehend him based on intelligence linking him to the distribution of illicit material. During the search, law enforcement officials discovered an alarming quantity of illegal content stored across three of his computers. The authorities revealed that they had stopped counting after reaching a staggering total of 2,000 images, highlighting the extent of his involvement in the distribution of such material.

Further investigation into Lee’s online activity uncovered that he had been actively sharing some of the most extreme and disturbing images on the internet. Records from his email and internet usage indicated that he had been sending these images to a file-sharing website, where they were accessible to other paedophiles. The police confirmed that Lee had distributed a total of 775 still images and 30 movies, some of which depicted horrifying scenes, including a 12-year-old boy screaming in pain as he was raped by an adult man.

Lee, who is known to be an enthusiastic amateur diver, attributed his fascination with such images to the psychological trauma he experienced following a drowning accident nine years prior. The incident resulted in the death of a friend, and Lee was blamed by some fellow divers for the tragedy, which reportedly left a lasting impact on his mental health.

He was charged with multiple offences, including ten counts of distributing indecent images of children and 23 counts of making or possessing such images. During the hearing at Exeter Crown Court, Judge Phillip Wassall sentenced Lee to two years in prison. The judge highlighted the severity of the case, revealing that police had uncovered a total of 75,000 images and 4,200 movies on Lee’s computers. The court was shown graphic descriptions of some of the most heinous material, including an image of a three-year-old boy being abused by an adult, an eight-year-old girl being assaulted in a bath, a four-year-old boy being forced to perform oral sex, and a 12-year-old boy screaming in pain during a sexual attack.

Judge Wassall emphasized the gravity of such offences, stating, “I give these examples not to shock but to give an illustration of what the court is dealing with. I’m afraid these offences are so serious that only immediate custody is justified. People who distribute these images must know, and the message must go out, that if they do so they will receive a prison sentence.”

The prosecution, led by Mr. Gordon Richings, explained that police had been tipped off about Lee’s online activities following an investigation by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. The authorities executed a raid at his home early in the morning at 4 am to ensure he was present. It was established that Lee had been distributing the illegal images via email and through a file-sharing website, using a Hotmail account registered under the pseudonym “Scuba77,” a reference to his interest in diving and his birth year, 1977.

During the hearing, Lee’s defense attorney, Mr. Nick Bradley, stated that his client had taken steps to address his problematic interests by enrolling in a course with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, which aims to combat child abuse. He also noted that Lee had lost his job as a result of his arrest. Mr. Bradley explained that Lee’s mental health issues stemmed from the traumatic drowning incident, which he described as a significant burden on his well-being. The defense also argued that Lee was not distributing the material for personal gain but was encouraged by other users on the file-sharing platform, who provided him with access to more images.

Ultimately, the court’s decision reflected the seriousness of the offences, and Lee was sentenced to two years behind bars, serving as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by the distribution of such vile material and the importance of ongoing efforts to combat child exploitation online.