SALFORD PAEDOPHILE DAREN KELSEY CLAIMS HE DOWNLOAD CHILD ABUSE MATERIAL TO BE KILLED IN PRISON

In June 2020, Darren Kelsey, a 54-year-old man from Salford, found himself at the center of a disturbing case that drew significant attention from law enforcement and the judiciary. Kelsey, who was employed as a first aider with St John Ambulance, was accused of possessing a large collection of indecent images involving young boys. The investigation revealed that he had downloaded approximately 1,500 pictures depicting boys as young as ten years old. These images were not only stored on his personal computer but were also shared with other individuals involved in similar illicit activities through online channels.

Further scrutiny uncovered chat logs containing sexually explicit messages, alongside internet searches for terms such as “boy in Speedos” and “young boys showing off.” Despite the evidence, Kelsey maintained that he did not have a sexual interest in children. Instead, he claimed that he had been sent the images by others and that his curiosity led him to explore the dark web to see what other material was available. His defense suggested that his actions were driven by a deteriorating mental state and suicidal thoughts.

During court proceedings, Kelsey’s legal representative, Alison Mather, explained that her client was experiencing severe mental health issues. She stated, “He explains that in the throes of his deteriorating mental health, he wanted to commit suicide but lacked the courage to go through with it himself. So in an illogical manner, he thought if he downloaded material of this nature from the internet, he would be imprisoned and face those in the prison system who do not look favorably upon those who commit such acts, and that harm would be done to him. He hoped that this would result in his death. It is extreme and bizarre, but that seems to be his way of thinking.”

Judge Timothy Smith, who presided over the case, noted that Kelsey had since resigned from his position at St John Ambulance. The judge expressed skepticism about Kelsey’s explanation, describing it as “bizarre.” He stated, “You came up with an explanation to a psychiatrist and the probation service and your counsel as to how you came to be involved in this offending, which is at the very least bizarre. It is that although you were unable to take your life, you still wished to do so and thought being caught for this type of offending might lead to imprisonment and might lead you to those in prison causing you fatal harm to achieve the result you were unable to achieve yourself. It is difficult for me to reach conclusions, but I rather share the suspicions that the explanation you come up with is more of an excuse to hide behind what it was you were in fact doing.”

Ultimately, Kelsey was sentenced to 16 months in prison, though the sentence was suspended for two years. Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years, reflecting the seriousness of his offenses and the potential risk posed to the community.