EDWARD UNSING FROM CRANSLEY JAILED IN KETTERING FOR CHILD SEX OFFENSES AND BREACHES
In a case that has shocked the community of Cransley near Kettering, Edward Unsing, a 68-year-old resident, has been sentenced to prison after a series of serious breaches of court orders related to his previous convictions for possessing child abuse images.The court heard that Unsing’s behavior had spiraled into alcoholism, which significantly impaired his ability to adhere to the strict conditions imposed by the court.
During a hearing at Northampton Crown Court on Thursday, February 18, it was revealed that Unsing had failed to comply with the terms of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) that was put in place following his earlier conviction.
His offender manager reported that Unsing continued to view images of children, a behavior that indicated his risk could no longer be effectively managed within the community setting.
This development prompted the court to conclude that his dangerous behavior posed an ongoing threat that could not be contained through supervision.
Unsing’s criminal history is extensive.
In February 2019, he admitted to possessing a large number of illegal images of child sexual abuse—specifically 144 images—stored across multiple devices in his home on Loddington Road.
Among these images, 41 were classified as the most severe category, depicting the worst forms of abuse inflicted on young victims.
Following this admission, he was sentenced in April 2019 to a three-year community order, which required him to undergo six months of alcohol treatment, complete 30 days of rehabilitation, and participate in a sex offender program.
Additionally, he was placed on the sex offenders’ register and issued a five-year SHPO.
Despite these measures, Unsing’s compliance was short-lived.
In April 2020, police officers visited his residence after he failed to complete his annual notification requirements.
The situation worsened in June of the following year when officers returned to find him in possession of a debit card that he had not reported to authorities, violating the terms of his SHPO, which mandated that he inform police of any new bank cards within three days of their arrival.
Further breaches occurred when Unsing failed to attend three scheduled probation appointments in November and December of the previous year.
When questioned about these failures, Unsing claimed that he often 'forgets things a lot' and that informing the police about his new debit card had 'slipped his mind.' His defense attorney, Chantelle Stocks, argued that her client had told her he was suffering from alcoholic dementia and that he was now engaging with probation services, having kept a recent appointment.
However, the court was informed that no such diagnosis existed, and Unsing had missed his latest probation appointment.
Ms.
Stocks emphasized that Unsing’s engagement with the court’s orders had been superficial at best, attributing his ongoing issues to his entrenched alcohol addiction, which she said affected his memory and judgment.
She also noted that Unsing had faced personal hardships during the COVID-19 lockdown, including the loss of three close family members, which may have contributed to his struggles.
His Honor Judge Adrienne Lucking addressed the court, stating, “You have an issue with alcohol but you choose to drink and that may or may not affect your memory.” Considering his age, the fact that he had largely complied with previous court orders, and the current conditions in custody due to the pandemic, the judge sentenced Unsing to a total of seven months in prison.
He will serve half of this sentence before being released on license for an additional 12 months.
In a related case from April 2019, Unsing was also convicted of possessing child abuse images.
He appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on February 18, where he pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children across categories A, B, and C, along with possession of prohibited images and extreme pornography.
The images involved 41 Category A, 33 Category B, and 69 Category C images, with offenses spanning from October 2012 to December 2016.
For these crimes, he received a three-year community order, including rehabilitation requirements, and was placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years.
Additionally, he was ordered to forfeit two laptops and an iPhone and pay a victim surcharge of £60.
