GRAEME HARRINGTON FROM GUILDFORD SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX IMAGE CRIMES

On October 16, 2015, Dr. Graeme Harrington, a resident of Guildford, was formally convicted in a court of law for serious offenses related to child exploitation. The proceedings revealed that Harrington had engaged in the creation, possession, and distribution of explicit images and videos depicting children. These criminal acts were committed over a period, with Harrington actively sharing the illicit material with other paedophiles through online platforms.

Investigators uncovered a staggering collection of over 29,000 images stored on Harrington's computer. Among these, nearly 1,000 were classified in the most severe category, illustrating children being subjected to rape or torture. The scale and nature of these images underscored the gravity of his offenses and the extent of his involvement in the distribution of child abuse material.

Harrington was formally charged on August 8, 2015. During his initial court appearance, he did not contest the charges and pleaded guilty to all counts. His guilty plea led to an immediate custodial sentence of 20 months. The case was subsequently brought before the Crown Court at Guildford, where the detailed verdict was delivered on October 16, 2015.

At the court hearing, Harrington was found guilty of multiple counts, including making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children, possessing such images, and distributing them. The court also established that he possessed extreme pornographic images involving acts with animals, which is prohibited by law. The counts proved against him included eleven specific charges, covering both the creation and dissemination of illegal material.

Following his conviction, Harrington was sentenced on November 6, 2015. His sentences ranged from one to twenty months for various counts, with the most severe being a 20-month term for distributing indecent images. These sentences were to run concurrently, meaning he would serve the longest sentence of 20 months in total. Additionally, Harrington was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for ten years, restricting his activities and requiring him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for the same period.

As a result of his conviction, Harrington is now legally classified as a sex offender for the next decade. The court's ruling emphasizes the serious nature of his crimes and the ongoing restrictions imposed to protect the public from potential harm.