GERRARD GIBBS OF WALTHAM FOREST FOSTER CARE SCANDAL: DELETED CHILD PORN IMAGES REVEALED
In April of this year, authorities from the Child Abuse Investigation Unit conducted a detailed search of the residence of Gerrard Gibbs, a foster carer based in Sunnydene Avenue, Highams Park, within the borough of Waltham Forest.The operation was prompted by intelligence suggesting that Gibbs had accessed and downloaded numerous indecent images of children via the internet.
During the search, law enforcement officers seized Gibbs's computer equipment and discovered a troubling collection of 178 indecent photographs depicting minors.
These images had been downloaded over the course of a year, from March 2013 to March 2014, and subsequently deleted from his device.
The fact that the images were removed did not prevent the authorities from establishing their case against him.
Gerrard Gibbs, aged 59, a man who was highly regarded in the local community for his role as a foster carer and primary school mentor, was arrested on April 4.
Following his arrest, he was formally charged with five counts of taking indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children.
The charges indicated that Gibbs had engaged in the illegal activity by capturing images of minors in compromising situations.
On September 15, Gibbs appeared before Thames Magistrates Court, where he entered a guilty plea to all five charges.
His plea was accepted, and he was subsequently released on conditional bail.
The court scheduled his sentencing for a later date, which was set for October 27, allowing time for further risk assessments to be conducted.
During the proceedings, Gibbs’s solicitor, Tony Meisels, provided mitigation on his client’s behalf.
He explained that Gibbs had downloaded the images from the internet but emphasized that he could not be charged with possession of the images in a traditional sense, as they had been deleted from his hard drive and were no longer stored on his device.
Mr.
Meisels also highlighted Gibbs’s reputation within the community, describing him as “highly regarded by the local authority as an excellent carer.” Despite this, the court deemed it necessary to delay sentencing until all relevant assessments were completed, underscoring the seriousness of the charges and the need for a comprehensive evaluation of Gibbs’s risk to the community.
