DAVID HALLIBURTON FROM HARRABY CAUGHT WITH OVER 200 CHILD ABUSE IMAGES AT MANCHESTER AIRPORT WHILE TRYING TO FLEE TO THE PHILIPPINES

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Harraby and the wider Carlisle area, David Halliburton, a 59-year-old man, was apprehended at Manchester Airport as he attempted to leave the country for the Philippines. The arrest took place at the flight gate, just as he was preparing to board a flight to Southeast Asia, and it was a direct result of an investigation into his possession of illegal child sexual abuse images.

Details of Halliburton’s offending history, which spanned nearly seven years, were presented during a court hearing at Carlisle Crown Court. Prosecutor Beccy McGregor outlined that Halliburton had been involved in creating and possessing a significant collection of indecent images of children. The investigation revealed that Halliburton, who resided on Lightfoot Drive in Harraby, had given his vehicle to a friend as he planned his move abroad. During this exchange, the friend discovered a laptop and a computer hard drive belonging to Halliburton, which he was told to keep.

It was during this discovery that the friend stumbled upon files containing disturbing content. Upon opening one of the videos, he was shocked to find it depicted child pornography. Further examination revealed a second such video, prompting the friend to contact authorities. The police investigation quickly identified Halliburton as the individual responsible for the files.

On the evening of his arrest, Halliburton was detained at Manchester Airport just before he was able to board his flight. He was found in possession of a laptop that contained numerous illegal images. The evidence collected from his devices included a total of 74 images classified as Category A, which is the most severe classification, along with 71 movies. Additionally, there were 112 images in Category B, mostly videos, and 23 images in Category C. The investigation confirmed that Halliburton had been making and accessing these illicit images from mid-2011 up until March of this year.

Further details revealed that Halliburton had also searched for sexually explicit stories involving young children, with one search term explicitly referencing the “rape of a boy.” During police interviews, Halliburton claimed that he had “forgotten” about the presence of these images on his devices and denied deriving any sexual gratification from them. He explained that his primary motivation was to relocate to the Philippines indefinitely to live with his partner.

Defense lawyer Paul Tweddle acknowledged the gravity of Halliburton’s actions, stating, “He fully accepts that his actions were legally and morally wrong. He has pleaded guilty. He now understands that these are victims; they are young children who have been exploited.”

In sentencing, Recorder Julie Clemitson imposed an eight-month jail term, suspended for 18 months. She also ordered Halliburton to undergo rehabilitation programs and adhere to a four-month night-time curfew. Additionally, Halliburton is required to register as a sex offender and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for the next ten years, reflecting the seriousness of his offenses and the ongoing risk to the community.