JAMES HERRIOT FROM LONG ASHTON JAILED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY DISCOVERED IN BRISTOL

In March 2010, James Herriot, a lorry driver residing in Long Ashton, was sentenced to a one-year prison term after being found guilty of possessing approximately 1,700 indecent images of children. The images depicted minors as young as five years old, and the case drew significant attention due to the disturbing nature of the material and the implications of his actions.

During the court proceedings at Bristol Crown Court, Herriot, aged 57 and living on Birdwell Road in Long Ashton, admitted to 21 counts of making indecent images. The court heard that Herriot had developed an addiction to viewing these illicit images, which he claimed to have become hooked on after initially starting to look at them. He explained to police that he would spend around two hours, two or three times each week, browsing through the disturbing material. Despite this, Herriot maintained that he was not sexually stimulated by the images, a claim that was met with skepticism given the nature of the content.

Judge Simon Darwall-Smith addressed Herriot directly, emphasizing the gravity of his actions. He stated, “For every image there is an abused child. Children as young as five were depicted, a substantial number were at the 5 and 4 (most serious) levels, and the custody threshold has clearly been breached.” The judge acknowledged Herriot’s previously good character, noting that he had admitted his guilt immediately and appeared genuinely ashamed. However, he also warned that public outrage would be justified if Herriot were to be released without appropriate punishment.

As part of his sentence, Herriot was ordered to serve six months in prison before being eligible for release on license. Additionally, he was subjected to an unlimited sexual offences prevention order, which restricts his use of computers to employment purposes only and limits his contact with children under the age of 16. Furthermore, Herriot was mandated to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years, reflecting the seriousness of his offenses.

The case was initiated after Avon and Somerset Constabulary received intelligence from another police force indicating that child abuse images were being downloaded within their jurisdiction during specific dates. When police officers executed a search warrant at Herriot’s home at approximately 7:10 am, he immediately admitted to possessing the images, stating, “It was me. It was down to me. I did it.”

During the search, Herriot led officers to a bedroom where a laptop computer was located. As the officers retrieved the device, he remarked, “This is what you want.” In subsequent interviews, Herriot explained that he had accessed a file-sharing website but was unsure of the total number of images he had downloaded. He further admitted, “You get into it and then it gets worse and worse,” highlighting the escalating nature of his online activity and the disturbing content he had accessed.