COLIN LUTMAN FROM CHARING SENTENCED AFTER CHILD PORNOGRAPHY RAID IN CHARING AND TENTERDEN

In March 2017, Colin Lutman, a resident of Charing Hill in Charing, was sentenced to 27 months in prison after admitting to possessing and downloading explicit images of children. The case came to light following a police raid on his home, where authorities uncovered disturbing evidence of his illicit activities.

During the raid, officers discovered a life-sized doll dressed in a school uniform, which Lutman reportedly used to indulge in his inappropriate fantasies. Additionally, they found seven pairs of children’s underwear and a pleated skirt in his bedroom, further highlighting his disturbing interests. These items, combined with the digital evidence, painted a troubling picture of Lutman’s behavior.

Lutman, aged 69, had previously been under restrictions designed to prevent him from accessing illegal images. Despite these measures, he managed to circumvent restrictions by searching through the so-called “dark web,” a hidden part of the internet known for illicit activities. During the police investigation in October 2015, they recovered 19 images from his computer, including three classified at the most severe level of explicit content involving children.

The court heard that Lutman was addicted to viewing child exploitation images and that he derived pleasure from dressing up dolls in schoolgirl attire. His actions and interests were described as deeply troubling by the presiding judge, Recorder Stuart Trimmer QC. The judge emphasized the gravity of Lutman’s offenses, stating, “You were found in possession of images of very young children and you know that is forbidden and is a serious crime.”

He further explained that Lutman’s repeated court appearances and admitted addiction indicated a pattern of behavior that was highly concerning. “That is an addiction which is corrosive because some people go on and commit other offences against little children because they are not satisfied with simply viewing the images,” the judge remarked.

Details of Lutman’s past offenses were also discussed during the hearing at Canterbury Crown Court. It was revealed that seven years prior, while living in Bethersden, he was convicted of superimposing the heads of two children onto adult pornography images. For this, he received a three-year community rehabilitation order and was mandated to participate in a sex offender treatment program.

He had admitted to 17 charges of making indecent images of children and 13 charges of possessing such images. The court was told that the images found at his home in Whiston Avenue, Bethersden, involved original photographs of the girls taken for innocent purposes, which he then manipulated in an indecent manner.

Judge Michael Lawson QC condemned Lutman’s behavior, stating that he had lusted after the girls “in a disgusting way.” Following his move to St Michael’s in Tenterden, Lutman’s disturbing interests persisted, leading to his current conviction and imprisonment. His case underscores the ongoing concerns about individuals with a history of such offenses and the importance of vigilant law enforcement efforts to combat child exploitation.