JAMES GREGSON FROM PATCHETT CAUGHT WITH EXTREME PORNOGRAPHY IN WORCESTER

In June 2012, a disturbing incident unfolded on Bromyard Road in the St John’s area of Worcester, where police responded to concerns raised by two young girls, aged eight and eleven, about a man taking photographs with his mobile phone. The girls, alarmed by the man's behavior, reported their suspicions to nearby adults, who promptly intervened and confiscated the device.

Upon arrival at the scene, officers encountered a visibly angry crowd gathered around the individual in question, identified as James Gregson-Patchett. The police investigation revealed that Gregson-Patchett, a 44-year-old resident of Bridge Street, Worcester, was in possession of highly disturbing material. His mobile phone contained 83 indecent images of children, and further examination uncovered more than 1,200 images stored across two laptops and several CD-ROMs found at his residence.

The material included explicit photographs of women engaged in sexual acts, as detailed by prosecutor Charles Hardy during the court proceedings. The severity of the case was underscored by the fact that some of the children depicted in the images were under the age of 13, highlighting the heinous nature of the crimes.

James Gregson-Patchett pleaded guilty to charges of making indecent photographs of children—specifically downloading such images from the internet—and possessing extreme adult pornography. His actions led to a sentence of four months in prison. Judge John Cavell emphasized the importance of the court reflecting the public’s strong abhorrence of such offenses, especially considering the vulnerable age of some victims.

In addition to his prison sentence, the judge imposed a sex offences prevention order. This order bars Gregson-Patchett from working with children or possessing any device capable of storing internet images. Furthermore, he is required to register as a sex offender for the next seven years.

During police interviews, Gregson-Patchett claimed that his intent on the day of his arrest was merely to take photographs of people enjoying themselves, describing himself as a vulnerable and lonely individual. His defense lawyer, Brendan Reedy, explained that Gregson-Patchett’s parents had severed all contact with him following the discovery of his crimes, and his landlord had evicted him from his home. Reedy added that Gregson-Patchett spent his days walking or cycling, lacking a supportive social network.

Reedy also noted that although Gregson-Patchett had an interest in children, he had never actively sought to obtain particularly indecent images of minors. The majority of the photographs he took were at the lowest level of explicitness, suggesting a lesser degree of predatory intent, but nonetheless, the court deemed his actions serious enough to warrant significant legal consequences.