DANNY FAIRE'S HORRIFIC CHILD ABUSE IMAGE SCANDAL IN BURNHAM REVEALED

In December 2018, a disturbing case emerged involving a resident of Burnham, who was found guilty of possessing and storing a vast collection of illegal images depicting child abuse. The individual, identified as 38-year-old Danny Faires, became the focus of police investigations after authorities received intelligence indicating that illicit images had been accessed from his residence.

Law enforcement officials conducted a thorough search of Faires' property on the basis of this intelligence. During the search, three electronic devices were recovered, which upon forensic analysis, revealed the presence of numerous indecent images and videos. The examination confirmed that Faires had accessed and stored material showing young children being subjected to sexual abuse, including images of children being raped.

Faires' criminal activities came to light after investigators discovered that nearly 600 images classified as Category A—indicating the most severe level of illegal content—were stored on his devices. The investigation also uncovered that Faires had been accessing such material as early as April 2015, based on his internet browsing history.

When questioned by police, Faires chose to remain silent, answering no comment to all inquiries. He was formally charged with five offences on November 3 of the previous year. Prior to this, he appeared before Essex Magistrates’ Court on December 13, but he did not enter any plea at that time. It was only during a subsequent hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court on January 10 that Faires admitted guilt.

On March 8, during the sentencing hearing, the court heard the details of the case. Prosecutor Lucy Ginsberg outlined the severity of the evidence, emphasizing the discovery of nearly 600 Category A images among the material found. The court was also informed that Faires' online activity dated back to April 2015, highlighting a prolonged period of illegal activity.

Faires, who resides on Marsh Road in Burnham, was sentenced to a total of 12 months in prison. The sentence covered three counts of making indecent images of children. The court did not impose additional penalties for possession of extreme and prohibited images, but ordered that all electronic devices, including his laptop and mobile phone, be destroyed. Furthermore, Faires was placed under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years and was required to register as a sex offender, ensuring ongoing monitoring of his activities to protect the community from further harm.