GARY DODDEN OF OKEHAMPTON ADMITS TO CHILD ABUSE IMAGE OFFENSES IN EXETER
| Red Rose Database
Okehampton Rapist
In June 2021, Gary Dodden, a 56-year-old man from The Glen, Okehampton, admitted to possessing indecent images of children after police uncovered such material on his devices. During a court hearing at Exeter Crown Court, Dodden acknowledged that he had actively searched the internet for images depicting child abuse and revealed that he had exchanged explicit images with other individuals sharing similar interests.
The court was told that on August 8, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a warrant at Dodden's residence, during which they confiscated his computers. In an interview conducted on the day of the search, Dodden confessed to having a sexual interest in children and stated that he needed help for his troubling behavior.
He explained that he had been attempting to access indecent images for three years and had been repeatedly banned from various messaging apps. Dodden stated, "He said he had exchanged images in chat groups but that it was all fantasy and he would never have acted it out in real life."
Police found several images on his phone and iPad, involving minors aged between two and 16. Some of these images depicted particularly severe forms of abuse. Dodden later claimed that his motivation was curiosity and that he could not derive sexual gratification from the images due to a serious medical condition. He expressed remorse, describing the images as "horrendous".
The judge, Mr. Justice David Evans, emphasized the serious implications of such material, noting that abuse depicted in the images covered all levels of severity. He stated, "Without people behaving like you did there wouldn’t be the demand that there is. It would be much less likely people would bind and abuse children in the way those who carried out these images did, if there were not people like you forming the audience."
Dodden pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children. The court sentenced him to an 18-month community order with 20 days of rehabilitation, a fine of £500 to cover costs and fines, and imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to prevent further offenses. The judge also noted Dodden was considered a realistic prospect for rehabilitation.
The court was told that on August 8, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a warrant at Dodden's residence, during which they confiscated his computers. In an interview conducted on the day of the search, Dodden confessed to having a sexual interest in children and stated that he needed help for his troubling behavior.
He explained that he had been attempting to access indecent images for three years and had been repeatedly banned from various messaging apps. Dodden stated, "He said he had exchanged images in chat groups but that it was all fantasy and he would never have acted it out in real life."
Police found several images on his phone and iPad, involving minors aged between two and 16. Some of these images depicted particularly severe forms of abuse. Dodden later claimed that his motivation was curiosity and that he could not derive sexual gratification from the images due to a serious medical condition. He expressed remorse, describing the images as "horrendous".
The judge, Mr. Justice David Evans, emphasized the serious implications of such material, noting that abuse depicted in the images covered all levels of severity. He stated, "Without people behaving like you did there wouldn’t be the demand that there is. It would be much less likely people would bind and abuse children in the way those who carried out these images did, if there were not people like you forming the audience."
Dodden pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children. The court sentenced him to an 18-month community order with 20 days of rehabilitation, a fine of £500 to cover costs and fines, and imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to prevent further offenses. The judge also noted Dodden was considered a realistic prospect for rehabilitation.