DAVID CHANTER FROM NEMPNETT THRUBWELL JAILED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN BRISTOL

In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community, David Chanter, a 49-year-old resident of Lakeside Close in Nempnett Thrubwell, has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for his involvement in the distribution and possession of a vast collection of child abuse images. The case came to light after authorities uncovered nearly 23,000 indecent images of children, including 238 videos depicting sexual abuse, on his personal computer equipment stored at his home address.

Judge Julian Lambert, presiding over the case at Bristol Crown Court, described the images as some of the most 'disgusting and revolting' he has encountered in his six years as a district circuit judge. The judge emphasized that the material included extremely disturbing content, such as images of young children being tortured, which he characterized as among the most obscene and corrupt he had seen in his judicial career.

Chanter appeared in court dressed neatly and presented himself in a composed manner as he pleaded guilty to 14 separate charges related to the supply of these illicit images. Among the charges were those involving Category 5 images, which are classified as the most sexually depraved and disturbing.

The investigation revealed that in August 2008, Chanter uploaded 16 images of children being sexually abused onto the popular photo-sharing website Flickr. Subsequent inquiries traced these images back to a computer at his residence. Police responded swiftly by obtaining a search warrant, which led to the seizure of his hard drives and computer towers. These devices were later found to contain not only the images but also numerous chat logs from conversations with other paedophiles on a now-defunct online platform called 'Google Hello.'

During these online exchanges, Chanter adopted the persona of a divorced woman named Nicole, engaging in graphic discussions about sexually abusing children. Police reports describe these chats as capable of 'satisfying the tastes of even the most perverted.' Over a span of 40 days, Chanter reportedly sent images to 41 other registered users of Google Hello on 131 separate occasions. The volume of images exchanged ranged from a few to as many as 900 in a single transmission, totaling more than 11,000 images sent during this period.

Defense lawyer Edward Burgess described Chanter as a well-educated, articulate, and intelligent man who, during the investigation, admitted to deriving sexual gratification from the images—something he initially denied, along with any prior viewing of the material. Burgess noted that Chanter was voluntarily undergoing treatment and expressed remorse for his actions, viewing this as a positive step towards rehabilitation.

He further explained that Chanter's involvement in this dark and complex fantasy world was driven by feelings of depression, social and emotional isolation, heavy alcohol consumption, and drug use, including cocaine. Burgess emphasized that these were private moments of loneliness and despair, which contributed to his client's behavior.

Judge Lambert, in delivering the sentence, condemned Chanter's actions as creating a 'huge library of indecent images' and engaging in extensive distribution over a significant period. The judge described the images as 'disgusting and revolting,' noting that they included some of the worst he had encountered in his judicial experience. The court also ordered Chanter to be permanently barred from working with children and mandated that he register as a sex offender indefinitely, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the need for ongoing public protection.