KEVIN MCAREE FROM NORTHOLT SPARED JAIL AFTER CHILD PORN AND STUN GUN DISCOVERY

In November 2016, Kevin McAree, a 64-year-old resident of Mandeville Road in Northolt, faced serious allegations related to the possession and distribution of child exploitation material, as well as the illegal possession of a stun gun. The case was heard at the Old Bailey, where it was revealed that McAree had accumulated nearly 1,500 indecent images of children, including one depicting a child as young as four years old.

According to court reports, the images were stored across two laptops, two external hard drives, and on CDs, indicating a significant collection of illicit material. The images included those involving penetrative acts with young girls, which heightened the severity of the charges. The investigation was initiated after authorities executed a search warrant at McAree’s home in Ealing on January 16, 2016. During the raid, officers uncovered a substantial cache of obscene images, categorized into different levels of severity: 49 Category A images, 31 of which had been deleted; 44 Category B images, with 30 removed; and 1,395 Category C images, 319 of which had been deleted.

In addition to the images, law enforcement officers discovered a stun gun concealed within a cupboard in McAree’s residence. The presence of the stun gun added to the charges against him, which also included possession of an offensive weapon. Further investigation revealed that McAree had transferred significant sums of money from his bank account to accounts in the Philippines, raising questions about possible illicit financial activities.

During police interviews, McAree admitted to browsing adult content online, stating that he preferred images of young, slim women, but insisted that all the images he viewed were of consenting adults. He also claimed that much of his internet activity occurred while he was intoxicated. When questioned about the child images, he denied knowledge of how they had come to be stored on his devices.

Prosecutor Jane Osborne highlighted that McAree’s internet searches included terms such as “little pre-teen models,” “Asian pre-teen models,” and “young top 100,” indicating a clear interest in underage individuals. Regarding the stun gun, McAree explained that he had acquired it during his time working in the Far East and had forgotten about it, having stored it away in his cupboard.

In sentencing, Judge John Bevan acknowledged the disturbing nature of the images, particularly noting that some involved penetrative acts with children as young as four. Despite the gravity of the offenses, the judge decided to impose an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, along with a six-month sentence to run consecutively for the stun gun possession. The judge expressed that while the threshold for custody had been met, McAree’s circumstances and the relatively limited number of Category A images influenced the decision to avoid immediate imprisonment. The case underscores the ongoing concerns surrounding online child exploitation and illegal weapons possession, even among individuals who have retired from their professional careers.