DAVID WILCOCK OF GOSPORT SENTENCED FOR CHILD INDECENT IMAGES

A disturbing case involves David Wilcock, a 32-year-old man from Gosport, who was found to possess over 1,500 indecent images of children on his computer, including explicit material involving a toddler and bestiality. Wilcock was unwittingly caught out after police visited his Fraser Road address in November 2017. Portsmouth Crown Court heard that upon arrival, Wilcock immediately admitted his guilt, telling officers, "It was me."

Although he had no previous convictions, Wilcock later disclosed to probation officers that he had been viewing indecent images of children since he was a child himself. The images came to light when they were discovered on a peer-to-peer file sharing network, which other users had accessed without his knowledge. Prosecutor Matthew Lawson explained, "Topics of files can be viewed, downloaded, and shared by others on the network."

Wilcock did not attempt to conceal his actions when police arrived; he cooperated fully before his computer was seized. Internet searches on his device revealed he had sought out images of sexual abuse involving pre-teen children and incest. The most horrific files included videos of a girl aged between two and four being raped, another girl aged four to six being raped, and a video depicting bestiality involving an 11-13-year-old girl.

During police interviews, Wilcock stated, "I accessed material through peer-to-peer software and was unaware others could access it. I did not knowingly share it with anyone."

He was charged with three counts of distributing indecent images of children and three counts of making such images. The images were classified into three categories: 124 level A (most severe, involving penetration), 1,256 level B, and 171 level C images.

Defence lawyer Daniel Riley described Wilcock as remorseful and noted that his actions had significantly affected him. Riley added that Wilcock had taken steps to address his urges, including paying for therapy himself, and that social services had closed a risk assessment case after reviewing his situation.

Judge David Melville QC opted not to imprison Wilcock, citing his efforts to prevent further offending, which he acknowledged had been a problem since Wilcock was a child, as admitted to probation. However, the judge issued a stern warning regarding the potential harm caused to victims, emphasizing the lasting impact of such material.

The judge stated, "You don’t know how much harm is being caused to these children – it may come out and affect them when they are adults. It’s a very serious situation. By viewing these images, you're fueling the market for them. If people like you didn’t look at them, there would be no demand. The children suffer lifelong consequences from these images, and you should keep that in mind if you consider offending again."

Wilcock was sentenced to a three-year community order, which included 100 hours of unpaid work, 20 sessions of rehabilitation, and mandatory involvement in a sex offender’s group program. Additionally, a sexual harm prevention order was issued, and he was placed on the sex offenders register.