EDWARD THORNTON FROM ROCK FERRY SENTENCED FOR REPEATED CHILD SEX OFFENSES IN LIVERPOOL

In December 2021, Edward Thornton, a 33-year-old man from Rock Ferry, Wirral, found himself once again at the center of a serious criminal case involving the possession and distribution of indecent images of children. Thornton, who has a long and troubling history of sexual offenses, made disturbing claims during his court appearance, asserting that only extreme measures, such as 'living in a cave with no electricity,' would prevent him from engaging in the illegal activity of downloading such images.

Thornton's criminal record dates back over a decade. His first conviction came in December 2008, when he was sentenced to 11 months in prison, suspended for two years, after being caught with indecent photographs of children. His criminal behavior persisted, and in July 2014, he was sentenced to three years in prison for possessing and sharing child sex abuse images, as well as for breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SHPO) on 11 separate occasions. Despite being subject to an updated SHPO following his 2014 conviction, Thornton resumed his illicit activities shortly after his release from prison in 2016.

On May 11, 2020, police officers visited Thornton’s residence on Meadowfield Close in Rock Ferry, Wirral, as part of an investigation into his online activities. When asked to provide electronic devices for inspection, Thornton handed over a Nokia phone that lacked internet access, claiming it was all he possessed. However, a detective noted that evidence suggested Thornton had posted an indecent image on the messaging app Kik Messenger. Confronted with this, Thornton became tearful and led officers to a cupboard where he produced two mobile phones, a computer tower, and a wireless router.

Analysis of the devices revealed a staggering collection of illegal files. On a Huawei phone and the computer, investigators discovered at least 14,266 illicit images downloaded between October 15, 2016, and May 4, 2020. These included 3,766 Category A images, which depict the most severe forms of child abuse, such as child rape, along with 2,770 Category B images and 7,605 Category C images. Among these were approximately 1,100 videos of child rape involving children as young as infants. Additionally, Thornton possessed 90 prohibited cartoon images of children and 35 extreme pornographic files, some depicting animal abuse. The investigation also uncovered that some images originated from Russia.

It was noted that the total number of images could be as high as 38,000, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to examine or categorize the remaining files, citing concerns over exposing examiners to further distress. The severity of the material was underscored by the judge, Recorder Eric Lamb, who stated, “Anybody being exposed to these images could not fail to be affected by them.”

Further evidence emerged when police were alerted by Snapchat that an account linked to Thornton had uploaded a Category B file in March 2021. This prompted a raid on his home in August 2021, during which officers seized a mobile phone hidden under a sofa, a laptop, and three USB devices. Thornton had kept these devices hidden from his sex offender manager and, upon being interviewed, admitted to possessing and viewing multiple illegal files. Six Category A, B, and C files were recovered during the investigation.

Throughout the proceedings, Thornton maintained full admissions of his actions. The court heard that he was an intelligent man who had deliberately and cunningly breached his SHPO by downloading images of children being abused worldwide. His defense attorney, Bernice Campbell, described him as ‘addicted’ to this behavior. Thornton’s repeated violations and possession of extreme material led the judge to impose a five-year prison sentence. Additionally, Thornton was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and adhere to his SHPO indefinitely, reflecting the serious nature of his offenses and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.