COLIN AND KEITH DEAN FROM MIDDLESBROUGH AND THORNABY FACE JUSTICE OVER CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Middlesbrough and Thornaby communities, brothers Colin Dean and Keith Dean have been brought before Teesside Crown Court to face serious allegations related to the possession and creation of indecent images of children. The proceedings revealed a disturbing pattern of criminal activity spanning over two and a half years, from December 2006 to August 2009, involving a staggering collection of illegal images.

Colin Dean, aged 55, and Keith Dean, aged 48, both of whom previously resided on Humber Road in Thornaby, pleaded guilty to a total of 42 separate offences. These charges included making indecent photographs of children and possessing a large number of such images. The court heard that the brothers had accumulated more than 3,000 illegal images, a quantity that underscores the severity of their crimes.

Specifically, Colin Dean admitted to 16 charges of creating indecent images of children, along with one count of possessing 106 indecent photographs. All of his offences were committed between May 26, 2007, and July 13 of the previous year. Nine of these offences involved images classified as “level three” on a severity scale of one to five, indicating a significant level of harm, while the remaining charges involved images at the lower levels, one and two.

Keith Dean’s admissions included 25 charges, with offences spanning from December 2006 to February 2007, and again from February to March, and July to August 2009. He pleaded guilty to 22 counts of making indecent photographs of children and three counts of possessing indecent images, totaling an astonishing 3,078 images. His charges were distributed across different severity levels, with approximately half relating to the least serious category, level one, and three offences at level four, indicating a range of harmful content.

Legal representatives for the brothers, including Nigel Soppitt representing Colin Dean, highlighted the restrictions placed on their clients. Soppitt noted that Colin Dean’s bail conditions included prohibitions against operating computer equipment and having contact with children, reflecting the seriousness of the allegations.

Both brothers are now required to register as sex offenders for a period of five years and will be subject to a five-year sex offender prevention order. They previously lived on Humber Road in Thornaby but are now in custody awaiting sentencing, which has been scheduled for June 11. Until then, they remain on bail.

During the court hearing, Judge Les Spittle emphasized the importance of a comprehensive pre-sentence report before any final sentencing decision is made. The judge made it clear that no indication of the potential sentence could be given at this stage, and that all sentencing options remain open. The judge also stated that the ultimate decision on the appropriate punishment would be made once all relevant information has been considered, underscoring the gravity of the offences committed by the Dean brothers in Middlesbrough and Thornaby.