JAMES BRADFORD FROM MORAY FAILS IN BID FOR EARLY RELEASE AFTER CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES
In February 2017, a serious case involving James Bradford, a resident of Moray, unfolded in the Scottish justice system.Bradford, aged 53 and from Buckie, was sentenced to a 12-month prison term after he pleaded guilty to possessing a large collection of indecent images of children.
The court found that between January 5, 2011, and September 23, 2015, Bradford had downloaded a total of 283 such images, a significant number of which were classified as the most severe category, Category A, indicating their extreme nature.
Furthermore, Bradford admitted to acquiring additional material that depicted extreme pornography involving adults and animals, with these downloads occurring from December 14, 2011, through September 24, 2015.
His actions drew widespread condemnation, highlighting the grave implications of possessing and viewing such material, which is directly linked to the abuse and exploitation of children.
Following his conviction, Bradford was remanded into custody by Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov in September of the previous year.
The court emphasized the severity of his crimes, noting that the images he downloaded represented real children who had suffered abuse.
The judge underscored that the nature of the images left no room for leniency, and a custodial sentence was deemed the only appropriate response.
In an effort to challenge his sentence, Bradford appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh, arguing that his punishment was excessively harsh.
His legal representative, Robert Cruickshank, described Bradford as “a bit of a misfit” and suggested that his offenses coincided with a period of personal loss, specifically the death of his mother, with whom he was close.
Cruickshank also pointed out Bradford’s social isolation and loneliness, attempting to garner sympathy for his client.
However, the appellate judges dismissed Bradford’s appeal, ruling that he should remain incarcerated until September as originally ordered.
They did, however, overturn his extended sentence of 44 months, which meant that if Bradford committed any further offenses before May 2020, he could be returned to prison.
The decision was met with approval from child protection advocates, including Alison Todd, the chief executive of Children 1st.
Todd emphasized that downloading such images fuels demand for child abuse and that possessing these images is a crime with real victims behind every picture.
She stated, “It is important to remember that behind every image there’s a real child who has suffered abuse.
The people who download them create further demand, which is met through further abuse of children.
Being in possession of images of child sexual abuse is not a victimless crime.
Sentencing should reflect the severity of the crime and send out a message that child abuse will not be tolerated.”
