NOTTINGHAM TEEN WITH DISTURBING CHILD ABUSE VIDEOS AND GORE IMAGES FACES PSYCHIATRIC ASSESSMENT
A teenage sex offender from Nottinghamshire, Ethan Shinfield, was found to possess videos depicting serious sexual offences, including horrific footage of very young children being abused, and disturbing images such as people carving his initials into their arms and a swastika written in blood.The Nottingham Crown Court heard that Shinfield, who was 16 at the time, admitted to becoming sexually aroused by this material and created an online log called 'edgy chat' containing 'gore,' which he said he found interesting despite not particularly liking it.
Police discovered on his devices multiple categories of indecent images, including 117 of the most serious Category A videos, 60 of girls aged two to 14, and 223 of less serious Category C images, as well as extreme material involving a dog and a woman.
There was also a video of a woman being raped while unconscious.
The court also noted actions such as videos of carving initials into the arms of individuals, with the phrase 'EWS owns me' referring to his initials, and a photo of a swastika written in blood on a wall.
Shinfield pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of a child and one of possessing extreme pornographic images.
Although he has no previous convictions, the case was adjourned for a psychiatric assessment, with the sentencing scheduled for October 10.
Prosecutor Katie Hardman explained that police visited Shinfield's home in Retford last year after discovering child abuse images linked to his internet accounts, leading to the seizure and analysis of devices.
The court was informed about the disturbing content including videos of sexual assault, gore, and threats associated with his initials.
Shinfield, of North Road, was granted conditional bail until sentencing, with mitigation suggesting that a specialist psychological report might recommend a community order rather than custodial sentence due to the lack of further offending since 2024.
The judge emphasized the importance of assessing the risks and potential for future offences and ordered a psychiatric report before delivering the final sentence.
