KEITH STANTON OF RUSTINGTON RECEIVES SUSPENDED SENTENCE OVER CHILD AND ANIMAL IMAGES

In April 2019, Keith Stanton, a 62-year-old resident of Broadmark Way in Rustington, was handed a suspended prison sentence after admitting to five charges related to the creation and possession of indecent images involving children and animals.

At Lewes Crown Court on April 15, Stanton was sentenced to a total of 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson explained, "Stanton received an 18-month sentence for making 934 Category A images of children – the most explicit category. He also received six months for producing over 2,000 images categorized as B and C, and three months for possessing images depicting a person committing a serious sexual offence against an animal, as well as a prohibited image of a child. All sentences are to run concurrently."

Additionally, Stanton was ordered to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activities and to pay £340 in court costs. The court also imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

The defendant had previously pleaded guilty to all five charges during a hearing at Worthing Magistrates’ Court on February 11. During that hearing, it was revealed that Stanton was identified and arrested by a specialist investigation team that tracked his computer using his IP address. A search of his home and vehicle uncovered several devices containing the illicit images.

The images included victims aged between three and five years old, and were made over a period of time on multiple devices, court heard.