BURNLEY MAN DAVID WORRELL FACES JAIL OVER 25,000 CHILD PORN IMAGES IN COLNE AND BURNLEY
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Burnley and the surrounding areas, David Worrell, aged 30, has been found guilty of possessing and distributing an extensive library of indecent images of children.The investigation revealed that Worrell had downloaded and stored up to 25,000 illicit pictures on his personal laptop, all of which depicted young children being subjected to abuse.
This illegal collection was kept secret, with Worrell employing the password ‘paedo’ to protect his digital cache, a detail that underscores the premeditated nature of his actions.
Worrell’s offending spree was carried out in the privacy of his home in Burnley, Lancashire, while his unwitting girlfriend was asleep.
The images he possessed included photographs of girls aged between three and thirteen, engaged in sexual abuse.
Not only did he hoard these images, but he also actively shared them on file-sharing websites, making them accessible to other paedophiles.
His online activities extended to chatrooms where he claimed to have committed acts of sexual assault, including a disturbing assertion that he had raped a five-year-old girl.
During one conversation, Worrell expressed concern about the possibility of being caught, stating, “I know – Going to jail.” Police investigations uncovered that some of these offences occurred while Worrell was on bail, after authorities had already seized his computer equipment.
The police raid took place in October at his residence in Colne, where they confiscated a laptop and a storage box.
Worrell was arrested, taken for questioning, and subsequently admitted to downloading the illicit material over the course of a year.
He confessed to sharing the images online, describing his actions as “stupid” and expressing remorse, saying, “I don’t know why.” He also claimed that he did not derive sexual gratification from viewing the images, stating that it “knocked him sick,” and expressed fear about the repercussions from his partner, saying, “She will kill me.
She’s probably going to kill me now.” Despite being released on bail, Worrell’s criminal activities did not cease.
He acquired new computer equipment, and further investigations revealed that he continued to distribute indecent images.
Authorities received intelligence indicating ongoing sharing, which led them to a different residence in Nelson, where Worrell was living alone.
Upon arrest at this second location, Worrell was cautioned and responded, “I know there’s something wrong with me.” During the search, police seized additional devices, including a laptop, a mobile phone, and two USB drives, which contained more indecent images.
Legal proceedings at Burnley Crown Court painted a grim picture of Worrell’s actions.
Prosecutor Stephen Parker detailed the extent of the offences, which spanned from June 2011 to October of the previous year.
Worrell admitted to multiple counts of possessing and distributing indecent images, with levels ranging from one to five, the most severe.
Specifically, he acknowledged downloading 280 images at level five, 1,500 at level four, and similar quantities at lower levels, totaling thousands of images.
The court also heard that Worrell had made five separate counts of creating indecent images of children, further emphasizing the severity of his crimes.
In his defense, lawyer Martin Hackett acknowledged the gravity of the offences, describing them as “truly awful” and noting that Worrell had lost everything—his relationship had ended, and his reputation was in ruins.
Hackett expressed that Worrell was trying to understand why he committed such acts, though the court made it clear that his actions demonstrated a disturbing pattern of behavior.
Judge Beverley Lunt delivered a stern sentence, emphasizing the seriousness of Worrell’s crimes.
She stated, “There is clearly something very, very wrong with you, in that you are able to obtain sexual gratification from looking at and sharing images involving the rape and abuse of very young female children.
Nothing, it seems, can stop you behaving in this way.” Worrell pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing indecent images of children, involving a total of nearly 50 images at various levels, and five counts of making indecent images.
The offences spanned from December of the previous year to July of this year, with the crimes committed in Colne.
The court heard that Worrell had no prior convictions and was remanded in custody until October 30, pending sentencing, which would be determined after a probation assessment.
The judge made it clear that prison was inevitable, but the length of the sentence would depend on the outcome of the evaluation.
