IAN PATTERSON FROM MANCOT INVOLVED IN CHILD INDECENT IMAGE CASE IN FLINTSHIRE

In February 2017, a man from Deeside, identified as Ian George Patterson, aged 32, faced serious allegations related to the possession and distribution of indecent images of children. The incident unfolded in the town of Mancot, where Patterson resides on Mancot Way. The case came to light after law enforcement authorities executed a warrant at his residence following intelligence that linked his IP address to the illegal downloading of such material.

During the police search, officers discovered a significant collection of indecent images stored on Patterson’s devices. The Flintshire Magistrates Court in Mold was informed that Patterson had admitted to downloading a total of 975 images classified as Category C, which is considered the least severe. Additionally, he acknowledged possessing eight Category B images and five Category A images, the latter being the most serious, with these activities spanning from May 2015 to November of the previous year.

The investigation was initiated based on international intelligence sharing among law enforcement agencies, which identified Patterson’s IP address as being involved in the illegal activity. When questioned, Patterson readily cooperated, revealing the location of his laptop and acknowledging the presence of the images on his device. He explained that he and his partner had separated in 2012, and following her death, he took on the responsibility of caring for their child, who lived with him and his parents.

Patterson described himself as experiencing depression during this period, which led to him rarely leaving his home except to pick up his child from school. With his child at school, he admitted to having little to do and began to view pornography, eventually progressing to viewing indecent images of children. He also confessed to communicating with others on chat rooms and distributing two Category C images via Skype. Patterson claimed that he had stored some images on a memory stick but had deleted them from his computer afterward.

His defense lawyer, Craig Hutchinson, emphasized that Patterson was a man with no prior convictions who had fully cooperated with police during their investigation. Mr. Hutchinson acknowledged that there were mitigating factors in Patterson’s case but stated that these should be considered during sentencing at the Crown Court, where Patterson is scheduled to appear next month. The magistrates ordered a pre-sentence report to be prepared before any final decision is made regarding his punishment.