KIERAN BOYD FROM HOWLEY AND SANDBACH ESCAPES JAIL DESPITE HORRIFIC CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASE

In a case that has sparked outrage among victims' families and the wider community, Kieran Boyd, a 24-year-old resident of Parr Street in Howley, was found guilty of possessing and sharing a disturbing collection of child pornography images. Despite the severity of his actions, Boyd was not sentenced to immediate imprisonment, a decision that has left many in disbelief and anger.

Boyd admitted to exchanging hundreds of explicit images of young girls, some as young as five, through online chatrooms. His depraved activities came to light in January when he sold his laptop computer to Angela Kingstone, the sister of his then-girlfriend, Beverley Kingstone, who was 21 at the time. The police investigation revealed that the device contained a total of 484 images, many of which were classified as 'low-level' child pornography, according to the court.

Warrington Crown Court heard that because most of the images were considered to be of a less severe nature and Boyd had not exchanged them for money, Judge Thomas Teague decided against imposing an immediate custodial sentence. This decision has been met with widespread criticism, especially from Angela Kingstone, who expressed her disgust after the verdict. She stated, “You try to do the right thing and report this to the police and this is what happens. These people should serve years in prison. What message does this send out to the likes of him? That you can have more than 400 images of children but if most of them are considered to be ‘low-level’ you’ll just get a slap on the wrist? He’ll be laughing at that sentence.”

Angela initially refrained from reporting Boyd to the authorities because her sister was pregnant with his child, and she was concerned about her sister’s health. However, just two days after her sister gave birth in June, Angela decided to go to the police. During the investigation, officers seized additional computers and a USB memory stick from Boyd’s residence. They also discovered a hard copy of an image depicting two 10-year-old girls engaged in sexual activity stored in a bedside drawer.

The images found on Boyd’s devices were categorized into five levels of severity. Boyd possessed 405 images classified as level one, which involve children posing naked, along with eight level two images, 29 level three images, 39 level four images, and three level five images depicting the most disturbing sexual acts. Additionally, authorities found 94 borderline photographs that did not clearly fall into the defined categories.

Boyd, who now resides at Arndale in Beechwood, Runcorn, has a prior conviction for assault. Described in court as a 'pervert' with a shaven head, he was dressed in a blue sweatshirt and trousers during the proceedings. Boyd has publicly described his problem as an 'addiction' and admitted to 11 counts of making indecent images of a child, along with two counts of possessing such images.

Judge Thomas Teague condemned the images as ‘disgusting’ and emphasized the seriousness of the offenses. He initially considered a 12-month jail sentence but expressed concern that Boyd would not receive any treatment for his issues if imprisoned. The judge remarked, “You would serve about half that time, without having had any real help.” Recognizing Boyd’s high level of insight into his problems, the judge decided to suspend the sentence for two years, accompanied by a two-year supervision order. Boyd is also required to register as a sex offender for ten years and will be subject to a five-year sexual offences prevention order, which restricts his contact with children—including his own—and limits his use of computers and the internet.

Furthermore, Boyd will participate in a sexual offending group work programme and is scheduled to live at Linden Bank in Sandbach, where he will be monitored and supported as part of his rehabilitation process.