CRAIG WILSON FROM BAKEWELL SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGES AT BROWNIE EVENT IN DERBYSHIRE

In July 2020, a disturbing case emerged involving Craig Wilson, a man from Bakewell, who was found to have engaged in highly inappropriate and illegal activities during a Brownie presentation event in Derbyshire. Despite having a prior conviction related to child abuse images, Wilson attended the event under false pretenses, concealing his criminal history from the charity organizers who had invited him.

Wilson, aged 53 at the time, was observed mingling with the young girls, aged between seven and ten, at the function. He engaged in casual conversations and even took photographs of the children receiving their awards. These images were later discovered on his iPad and iPhone when police executed a search warrant at his residence. The devices contained a significant number of illicit images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of young girls, including one of a baby being raped and another of a naked girl with the words “slut, hurt me” scrawled across her chest.

During the court proceedings at Derby Crown Court, Judge Nirmal Shant QC sentenced Wilson to two years in prison, with an additional six-year extension, citing the defendant’s dangerousness as a key factor. The total potential incarceration period could extend to eight years, and Wilson will only be eligible for release once the parole board deems it appropriate. The judge emphasized that Wilson had deliberately concealed his criminal past, including his previous conviction for possessing indecent images of children and a sexual offences prevention order that restricted his contact with minors. Judge Shant stated, “You made a deliberate decision not to disclose your convictions, that you were the subject of a sexual offences prevention order and you made a deliberate decision to attend that function. The original order was made to keep you away from young girls and in my judgement you present a serious risk of harm to young girls.”

Further details revealed that Wilson’s criminal history dates back to 2002 when he was first convicted for possessing indecent images of children. In 2014, he was jailed for two years after exchanging sexual images with a girl under 16. By 2018, Wilson had become the chairman of the Buxton branch of the Royal British Legion. It was during this period that he was invited to the Brownie presentation event, where he was asked by another Legion member to photograph the children receiving their awards for a press release. The police investigation in January 2019 uncovered that Wilson’s devices contained 248 images and two movies classified as Category A, the most serious level of child abuse material. Among these were images of a baby being raped and a young girl being sexually abused while tethered.

Wilson refused to answer questions during police interviews, replying only with “no comment.” Subsequently, he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including making indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornography involving a woman and a horse, and breaching his sexual offences prevention order. The court’s findings and Wilson’s actions underscore the grave danger he poses to society, especially to vulnerable minors in the community of Bakewell and Derbyshire.