DAVID COCKSHOTT SENTENCED IN LEEDS FOR ILKLEY CHILD IMAGE OFFENSES

In a case that has shocked the local communities of Ilkley and Leeds, David Cockshott, a 43-year-old man with ties to both locations, was sentenced in Bradford Crown Court for possessing a significant number of indecent images of young girls. The court heard that Cockshott, who was employed by BWC Solutions, an insolvency specialist firm based in Leeds, had accessed and downloaded over 1,000 such images from the internet, raising serious concerns about his conduct and the safety of children.

The charges against Cockshott included 20 counts of making indecent photographs of children, with the images being dated on or before November 10, 2008. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to a broader count involving the creation of a total of 1,046 indecent images, all classified at level one on the severity scale, indicating the least serious category of such material. The court was informed that these images depicted girls under the age of 13, with some being significantly younger, which heightened the gravity of the offense.

Prosecutor Stephen Grattage detailed that police officers executed a search warrant at Cockshott’s residence in Ilkley, specifically at Ilkley Hall Mews, on November 10, 2008. During the investigation, they seized his laptop computer and several memory sticks. Cockshott, who has since been living in Bradford, specifically at Brighouse and Denholme Road in Thornton, admitted to police that he viewed the images out of curiosity, a statement that the Crown accepted as an explanation but not an excuse for his actions.

Mr. Grattage emphasized that there was no evidence to suggest that Cockshott had distributed the images to others, which was a mitigating factor considered during sentencing. The court was also made aware of the nature of the images, which involved very young girls, some of whom were under the age of 13, underscoring the seriousness of the case.

Judge John Potter delivered a sentence that reflects the gravity of the offenses. Cockshott was handed a three-year community order, which includes mandatory supervision. He is required to participate in the Sex Offender Treatment Programme and must sign the sex offenders’ register for a period of five years. Furthermore, the judge imposed an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order, explicitly prohibiting Cockshott from working with children in any capacity, aiming to prevent any future risk to vulnerable minors.