KEVIN TURNER FROM CLEADON SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN SOUTH TYNESIDE

In October 2021, Kevin Turner, a resident of North Drive in Cleadon, South Tyneside, was involved in a disturbing case involving the possession of a vast collection of child abuse images. Turner, a 58-year-old man who lives with his elderly mother, was found to have accumulated a staggering total of 16,736 indecent images, including 5,845 classified as the most serious Category A, along with 8,059 Category B and 2,832 Category C images. These images, which depicted children as young as two months old and up to 13 years old, were believed to have been downloaded from the mid-2000s, highlighting a prolonged period of offending.

Police first became aware of Turner's activities in June 2018 when they conducted an investigation and discovered the extensive collection of illicit material on his devices. The officers found that Turner had downloaded these images over a period of years, and the content was deeply disturbing, involving the most severe forms of abuse. The images included children subjected to sexual acts, and the material was stored in a way that suggested a deliberate and ongoing interest in such depravity.

Further investigations revealed that Turner had downloaded additional vile videos, some displaying children under the age of ten in the most serious categories of abuse. When police visited his home again in August of the same year to ensure he was complying with the conditions of his bail, they found him with a computer open in his kitchen. The device was playing pornography suspected to be related to children. Upon further examination of the computer and a USB stick found at his residence, authorities uncovered eight more videos, some of which contained the most severe images involving children under ten.

During the court proceedings, Turner admitted to four counts of possessing indecent images. Despite his claims that he has no sexual interest in children and his attempt to downplay his actions by stating that the children depicted were not from the UK, the court was not convinced. Judge Tim Gittins sentenced Turner to 11 months in prison, emphasizing the gravity of his offenses. The judge expressed concern over Turner's assertion that he had no particular sexual interest in children, noting that such claims are common among those caught in possession of such material. Judge Gittins pointed out that Turner had tried to minimize the seriousness of his crimes by suggesting the children were not from the UK, but he clarified that each viewing of such images constitutes a new act of abuse.

Judge Gittins highlighted that the children depicted in the images suffered in three ways: through the abuse itself, the recording of their suffering, and the ongoing availability of these images for depraved individuals like Turner to view. The court also imposed a sexual harm prevention order and mandated that Turner register as a sex offender for ten years. The judge took into account the impact of the sentence on Turner's elderly mother, who is in poor health and whom he cares for, leading to a reduction in the length of the prison term. Nonetheless, the seriousness of the offenses, the repeated nature of the crimes while on bail, and the public revulsion towards such conduct compelled the court to send Turner to custody.