COLIN WILSON FROM THORNTON ESCAPES JAIL AFTER VIEWING CHILD INDECENT IMAGES IN PRESTON

In a recent court hearing held at Preston Crown Court, Colin Wilson, a 58-year-old resident of St John’s Avenue in Thornton, was found guilty of possessing and creating indecent images of children. Despite the gravity of his actions, Wilson was ultimately sentenced to a six-month prison term, which was suspended for two years, along with a two-year period of supervision that includes mandatory participation in an internet sex offenders treatment program.

The case came to light after police executed a search warrant at Wilson’s residence on May 29 of the previous year. During the search, authorities seized a laptop computer that contained a collection of indecent images of children, spanning various levels of severity, including the most serious category. These images are widely recognized as highly disturbing and are considered a serious offense under the law.

Following his arrest, Wilson was taken in for questioning, during which he admitted to having viewed these images over a period of several months. When asked about his actions, he claimed that he had stumbled upon an indecent image of a child by accident. According to Wilson, curiosity then prompted him to search for more images of pre-teen children. He also stated that he had no interest in children beyond the internet and did not engage in any physical contact or other illegal activities involving minors.

Prosecutor Craig Cleminson highlighted the seriousness of the case, emphasizing that every instance of viewing such images reinforces a market that profits from the exploitation of children. He pointed out that these offenses, regardless of the number of images or the level of severity, are inherently grave and should be treated as such.

Wilson pleaded guilty to 13 counts of making indecent images of children and four counts of possessing such images. His defense attorney, Ciaran Rankin, argued that the number of images involved was not large and noted that Wilson had since lost his employment as a result of the charges.

Judge Michael Byrne, presiding over the case, described Wilson’s conduct as “despicable” and underscored the importance of deterring such behavior. He ordered Wilson to be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for seven years, reaffirming the serious nature of these crimes and the societal need to protect vulnerable children from exploitation.