GEORGE CLARKE FROM KINGSWINFORD ESCAPES JAIL AFTER HOARDING NEARLY 14,000 CHILD INDECENT IMAGES

In December 2014, a disturbing case emerged involving George Clarke, a 59-year-old resident of The Portway in Kingswinford, who was found to have accumulated an alarming collection of nearly 14,000 indecent photographs depicting children as young as six years old. Despite the severity of his actions, Clarke was spared immediate imprisonment after a judge at Wolverhampton Crown Court decided that treatment for his underlying issues was more appropriate than incarceration.

Judge Michael Challinor emphasized the gravity of Clarke’s offenses, stating, “Most people simply cannot understand why anyone should want to view this vile material. These children were in obvious distress, and you distributed the images, which makes the case far more serious.” The judge further explained that his primary concern was public safety, asserting, “My principal task is to protect the public, and a modest prison sentence would not achieve that aim.”

Clarke faced multiple charges, including six counts of making indecent images of children, three counts of distributing those images, and one count of possessing extreme pornography. He admitted to all charges and was subsequently placed under supervision for three years. As part of his sentence, Clarke was required to attend the Sex Offenders Programme and was also subjected to an indefinite Sexual Offenders Protection Order. Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for five years.

During the court proceedings, Bernard Porter, representing Clarke, highlighted that his client had already taken steps toward rehabilitation by seeking support and advice. Porter explained that Clarke, who initially accessed adult pornography, had transitioned to viewing indecent images of children, recognizing the criminal nature of his actions. “He now realises each photograph represents a crime scene,” Porter stated. He also emphasized that Clarke had not viewed any such images since his arrest and was actively working to rehabilitate himself.

Prosecutor Joanne Barker recounted that police officers visited Clarke’s home, where he openly admitted to having the images stored on his hard drive, saying, “There is no point hiding it. The images are on my hard drive.” An investigation uncovered a total of 13,810 images across various categories, with 49 of the moving images having been distributed to others. The images primarily involved female children aged between six and eight years old. During police interviews, Clarke claimed he did not believe his actions caused harm, comparing his behavior to “driving at 40mph in a 30mph zone,” a justification that underscored his minimization of the offense.

Earlier in October 2014, Clarke had already admitted to making, possessing, and distributing nearly 14,000 indecent images of children in a court hearing. He pleaded guilty to six charges of creating a total of 13,814 indecent images, along with possessing 52 images of extreme pornography and three additional charges related to the distribution of 23 indecent images. Judge John Warner remanded Clarke on conditional bail until December 19, pending the preparation of pre-sentence and psychiatric reports. The court ordered Clarke to register immediately as a sex offender, warning that the court’s decision to await reports did not limit its sentencing options. Clarke was granted bail under the condition that he has no unsupervised contact with anyone under 16 years of age, except in everyday circumstances. Bernard Porter reiterated that the reports were necessary before the case could be finalized, while Peter Grice, representing the prosecution, indicated that a Sexual Offenders Protection Order would also be requested at the next hearing.