COVENTRY SOCIAL WORKER DAVID LINFORTH SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

In September 2001, a Coventry social worker named David Linforth was sentenced to 18 months in prison after admitting to possessing thousands of obscene images of children. The 55-year-old former scout master was found to have both actual and pseudo images depicting children, some involved in sexual acts, Coventry Crown Court was told.

Linforth, residing on Hothorpe Close in Ernesford Grange, pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing pseudo photos of children and two counts of making indecent photographs of children. Most of the material had been downloaded from the internet.

Prosecutor John Attwood explained that police raided Linforth's home in July, seizing two computers and various compact and floppy discs. Analysis of these devices uncovered images featuring adults with the heads of young boys and girls superimposed, some engaging in sexual acts with each other and with adults.

Linforth later told investigators that viewing these images, which he had been collecting over a four-year period, served as an escape into a "fantasy world."

Defence lawyer Christopher Jones stated that the images were for Linforth's personal gratification and emphasized that he had not engaged in any improper conduct with children directly. Jones added, "Linforth is now a broken man, having lost his job and his good character."

The court recognized that the charges carried additional gravity due to Linforth’s role as a social worker for Coventry City Council and his extensive involvement with the Scout movement.