DAVID MAGGS FROM HEDON CAUGHT WITH 1,800 INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN IN SHERIFF HIGHWAY RAID

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Hedon, David Anthony Maggs, aged 28, was apprehended after police executed a search warrant at his residence on Sheriff Highway. The investigation uncovered a staggering collection of approximately 1,800 indecent images of children, along with a significant number of extreme pornographic materials. Maggs, a local businessman, had been engaging in a disturbing pattern of online grooming, targeting underage girls over a period of several months.

Maggs used internet chat rooms as his platform to lure and manipulate three young girls, aged 13, 14, and 15. During their interactions, he repeatedly asked the girls to show him their feet, a fetish that he appeared to indulge in before taking explicit and indecent photographs of them. This grooming process was methodical and prolonged, highlighting a calculated effort to exploit vulnerable minors.

The police raid on Maggs’s home in Hedon was prompted by ongoing investigations into his online activities. When authorities searched his property, they discovered a vast cache of illegal images, which included not only indecent photographs of children but also extreme pornographic content. Maggs admitted to detectives that his obsession had become an “overpowering addiction,” which he struggled to control.

During the subsequent court proceedings at Hull Crown Court, Maggs pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including possession of indecent images of children, making indecent images, and engaging in sexual activities with minors. The court was informed that most of the images found were classified at the lowest level of seriousness, but there were also 51 images at the highest end of the scale, along with 11 extreme pornographic images, indicating a disturbing escalation in the nature of his material.

Maggs’s legal representative, barrister John Thackray, expressed remorse on his client’s behalf, stating, “He has been full of remorse since the day of his arrest and has had this hanging over him for a long time. He is very, very sorry.”

Judge Michael Mettyear, the honorary Recorder of Hull and the East Riding, sentenced Maggs to nine months in prison. In his remarks, the judge condemned Maggs’s conduct as “disgusting and wholly unacceptable,” emphasizing the gravity of his actions and the harm inflicted upon the young victims. The judge acknowledged that, apart from his criminal behavior, Maggs was generally seen as a hardworking, respectable, and honest individual, but he also pointed out that Maggs exhibited a significant character flaw.

Addressing the broader implications of such crimes, Judge Mettyear stated, “Only time will tell if you are able to overcome it in the long term and resist temptation. As you said yourself, it was an overpowering addiction. These girls were young and need protection. Those who are abused in child porn are also victims of the people who view it.”

Furthermore, Maggs was subjected to an eight-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order, which prohibits him from having any unsupervised contact with girls under the age of 17. He is also required to register as a sex offender for the next ten years, ensuring ongoing monitoring of his activities and preventing further harm to minors.