HEDGE END PAEDOPHILE RECEIVES 24 MONTHS FOR OVER 8,000 INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN

A convicted paedophile named Gary Dowden was discovered with a vast collection of indecent images of children, totaling 8,465 images on multiple devices during a police raid at his home. Among these, 1,926 were categorized as the most serious Category A images. Prosecutors revealed that the images depicted children as young as three being abused. Dowden, 32 years old and residing in Mescott Meadows, Hedge End, did not disclose the presence of a new phone to officers, despite being under a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) from a previous offence. During his police interview, he gave no comment. He was found guilty of three counts of making indecent photographs of children and breaching his SHPO. His crimes were described as particularly serious due to the number of Category A images. He was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court to 24 months in prison, and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order was imposed. Additionally, he is required to comply with notification requirements for the next 10 years and the authorities ordered the forfeiture and destruction of his devices. Judge Brian Forster KC emphasized the severity of the case, noting the deliberate breach of his order and the seriousness of possessing such images, especially given his previous convictions. Dowden’s case is viewed as very serious because of the volume and nature of the images, and he was remanded into custody to serve his sentence.