JORDAN MITCHELL, FROM LIVERPOOL, SENTENCED FOR POSSESSING CHILD INDECENT IMAGES

In May 2021, a teenage sex offender attempted to conceal his illegal activities after downloading images of child abuse at his parents' home. Jordan Mitchell, then 19, used specialized computer software to hide his actions and deleted many disturbing pictures of toddlers and infants being sexually abused after viewing them.

Despite his efforts to erase evidence, he was unsuccessful in completely masking his identity. When police executed a raid on his family’s residence in Darmonds Green Avenue, Anfield, they discovered 427 indecent images. Liverpool Crown Court heard that police had received intelligence linking an IP address registered to Mitchell’s home to the illegal downloads.

Prosecutor Derek Jones stated, “As a result, officers raided Mitchell’s family’s address on June 24 last year. He was in the company of his parents, and he indicated to police that he understood why they were there.”

During the raid, an iPhone and a desktop computer were confiscated, with most of the illegal files found on his mobile device. Mr. Jones explained, “Mitchell admitted in his interview that he used the Tor browser—a VPN—to cover his tracks while accessing indecent images on certain websites. He was browsing these sites, viewing the images, and deleting them afterwards.”

The Tor browser allows access to the Dark Web and can obscure online activities. Although there were no records of specific online searches on the devices, investigators found that Mitchell had visited websites with names like 'Lolita' and 'jail bait.'

The images found included 36 categorized as Category A—denoting the most serious offenses such as child rape—140 in Category B, and 251 in Category C. The photos depicted children as young as two to four, or between five and seven years old.

Mr. Jones added, “Mitchell fully admitted to police that he downloaded these images and used the Tor browser to try to hide his actions.”

Sentencing guidelines for similar offenses typically suggest starting points of 12 months in custody, with ranges from 26 weeks up to three years for Category A files. Mitchell, now 20, pleaded guilty to four counts of possessing indecent images of children.

Judge Anil Murray noted that the young age of the children in the images was an aggravating factor but considered Mitchell a candidate for rehabilitation. Due to his lack of prior offending and compliance with court orders, the judge suspended an eight-month prison sentence for two years.

Additionally, Mitchell was ordered to complete the Horizon rehabilitation program, a 60-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, and to sign onto the Sex Offenders Register. He must also adhere to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years. Judge Murray reserved the right to address any breaches of these orders himself and warned that if Mitchell reoffended, he would face imprisonment.