LEWIS BROWN RECEIVES SUSPENDED SENTENCE IN OLD WALCOT AFTER CHILD ABUSE IMAGES CASE

In June 2014, Lewis Brown, a 21-year-old resident of Upham Road, Old Walcot, was spared jail after repeatedly failing to complete court-mandated unpaid work related to his possession of child abuse images. During a police interview, Brown giggled while viewing the images, which investigators found stored on his computer. He was ordered to undertake 300 hours of unpaid work for two separate offences.

After missing his scheduled work, Brown claimed insomnia was the reason for his absence. A judge warned him, stating, "You will know what will happen if you are foolish enough to breach the order again." Despite this, Brown again failed to attend, prompting the probation service to initiate breach proceedings. Recognizing the severity of the situation, he subsequently resumed attendance and completed all 300 hours.

Defence lawyer Alex Daymond explained that Brown was still under supervision and emphasized that if the suspended sentence was activated, he would serve only a short jail term. Judge Tim Mousley QC noted, "It seems the threat of breach proceedings brought you to your senses and you began to comply again. I am not going to activate it." Instead, he imposed a two-month curfew from 8 pm to 6 am and warned Brown that any future breaches could result in imprisonment.

Brown’s criminal history includes a July 2012, four-month suspended sentence, which was related to possession of cannabis with intent to supply. Police had also seized his devices in an April 14, 2011, raid and found search terms indicating online activity involving extreme pornography. In February 2013, Brown admitted making an indecent image of a child in 2010 plus two counts of possessing extreme pornography from 2010 and 2011. He was then sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, suspended, ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work, and required to register as a sex offender for five years.

Earlier this year, Brown admitted failing to comply with court orders, citing insomnia as an excuse. When ordered to produce medical evidence, he refused to pay the £40 fee requested by his doctor. Judge Douglas Field imposed a curfew, warning him not to breach it again, saying, "I am going to reserve any further breach to myself and you will know what will happen if you are foolish enough to breach the order again in the future."

The offences originated from a police search at Brown’s home, which revealed disturbing search history involving extreme pornography. Prosecutor Claire Marlow disclosed that officers seized a computer and a memory stick, discovering two videos—one lasting 11 and a half minutes showing two young girls aged between eight and ten, and another six minutes 48 seconds clip involving an adult woman and an animal. Additionally, 139 images of extreme pornography were found on his device. During police interview, Brown remained silent but behaved peculiarly, repeatedly shouting “no comment” and appearing amused.

Andrew Hobson, defending, emphasized, “While Lewis Brown giggled during the police interview, he does not find these proceedings or the offence to which he pleaded guilty remotely funny.” Overall, his actions reflect a pattern of problematic conduct linked to his possession of illicit material and failure to meet court obligations.