DAMIEN PETERS FROM KENNINGTON JAILED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGE OFFENCES IN CANTERBURY

In May 2014, Damian Peters, a 39-year-old self-employed surveyor residing in Meadowbank Road, Kennington, was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted by a jury at Canterbury Crown Court of downloading illegal images depicting child abuse. This conviction followed revelations that, despite a previous conviction and a period of seemingly rebuilding his life, Peters had continued his inappropriate interests in secret.

Family and friends believed Peters had left behind his problematic past. However, his wife uncovered that he had persisted in viewing disturbing imagery online. As the court heard, even after his arrest, Peters started a new relationship with a woman who was the mother of a young girl.

Judge Simon James addressed Peters during sentencing, stating: “For many years you have sought to delude yourself and those close to you that you are not sexually interested in children. But the plain fact is that you appear to have an insatiable appetite for viewing images of child sexual abuse. You had been able to rebuild your life but you were prepared to risk everything just to view similar images.”

Peters’ history included a 2007 suspended jail sentence for creating hundreds of indecent images of children, along with the imposition of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO). Despite outward appearances of success and the support of his family, the court found that Peters harbored a “secret desire” to access child abuse images, believing he could hide his activities by not saving the images directly on his computer.

Prosecutor Bridget Todd explained that the SOPO prohibited Peters from having any internet-enabled computer, but he circumvented this restriction by persuading his wife to purchase one. When authorities seized the device, they uncovered stored images of child rape, which Peters had attempted to hide.

During his trial, Peters denied accessing the illicit images, claiming his ex-wife reported him out of vendetta. The judge, however, criticized his denial, saying: “You have sought throughout to blame everyone but yourself leaving your wife and your family wondering how you could have betrayed their trust and forgiveness.”

The judge commended Peters’ wife for her bravery in providing evidence, noting her disgust upon discovering the images. Addressing Peters’ behavior, the judge stated: “Instead of resulting in shame and contrition on your part, you sought to portray her as a vindictive liar. The jury saw through that and the only liar was yourself.”

He further remarked: “Your fall from grace is complete. Any respect you may have gained appears to have evaporated. You attempted to minimize your offending to your wife, yet even after your arrest, you started another relationship with a mother of a young girl without revealing your past or these proceedings.”

Peters, who admitted to downloading up to 180 images classified as Level 5, was ordered to remain on the Sex Offender Register for life. Additionally, he received a new SOPO that restricts his internet access and allows police monitoring of his viewing activity.