WIDNES MAN AVOIDS JAIL AFTER GUILTY PLEA TO CHILD SEX ABUSE IMAGE CHARGES
A PERVERT who was caught with dozens of vile images of children being sexually abused has been spared jail.Police found the depraved material on electronic devices belonging to Widnes man James Baker.
The 33-year-old was subsequently charged with possessing indecent images of children, making indecent images of children and possessing prohibited images of children.
He entered guilty pleas to all of these charges before Warrington Magistrates’ Court, where he was sentenced.
Joseph Kindley, prosecuting on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service, informed the court how police seized an iPhone and Samsung hard drive belonging to Baker in September 2022.
These were sent for a forensic analysis, with checks confirming the presence of indecent images of children.
In total, 28 were found and graded category C – the least severe of three categories used to judge such images.
Officers also found five prohibited images of children – described as being ‘pornographic’ and ‘grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character’.
Such an image must either concentrate on the genitalia of a child or show a sexual act which either actively involves a child or a child is shown to be present during the act.
Prohibited images cannot be photographs or photos which have been photoshopped.
They are therefore sketches, paintings, cartoons or any other unreal ‘depiction’ of a person.
Baker, of Coronation Drive, was sentenced by magistrates to a two-year community order, including 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
He must also pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £120 and a statutory victim surcharge of £114.
In addition, the defendant must sign the sex offender register for the next five years.
The court also approved an order for Baker to forfeit the iPhone and Samsung hard drive seized by police during the investigation.
