LEWIS WELCH FROM SUNBURY SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN GUILDFORD

In December 2016, a disturbing case emerged involving Lewis Welch, a resident of Sunbury, who was found to possess an extensive collection of indecent images of children on his personal computer. The investigation was initiated after Surrey Police seized Welch's laptop on May 17 of that year, uncovering a troubling cache of illicit material.

Analysis of the hard drive revealed a staggering number of images categorized by severity: 482 images classified as Category A, which typically depict the most severe forms of child exploitation; 621 images in Category B; and an alarming 3,103 images in Category C. Among these, only two were videos, but both were classified as Category A, indicating their extreme nature. The images depicted children as young as five years old, highlighting the disturbing content stored on Welch's device.

During his initial police interview, Welch admitted that the computer belonged to him. He claimed that the files in question were downloaded after he paid $50 to access certain files purportedly to assist him in playing an online computer game with friends. He stated that he had opened four of these files, saw that they contained indecent images of children, and then closed them. However, Welch did not provide a clear explanation as to why he chose not to delete these files or report their existence to law enforcement authorities, according to prosecutor Zeena Begum.

It was only during a subsequent interview that Welch confessed to actively searching for such images, confirming his involvement in viewing and possessing illegal material. His guilty plea covered three charges related to making indecent images or photographs of children, as well as a charge of possessing extreme pornographic images.

At Guildford Crown Court, Judge Stephen Climie delivered the sentence, which included a three-year community order. This order mandated Welch to complete 100 hours of unpaid community service and attend 60 sessions of a sexual offenders' rehabilitation program. Additionally, Welch was placed on the sex offenders register, and his laptop along with the hard drive were forfeited as part of the court's orders. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £60.

Judge Climie addressed the court, stating, “I have to deal with you for playing an active part in child abuse. You are a child abuser by virtue of viewing these images. You play a part, you satisfy the demand for these images to be created in the first instance.” He emphasized that while Welch was not involved in creating or producing the images, his viewing and possession contributed to the demand that fuels such criminal activity. The judge further noted the severity of the Category A images, which depicted penetrative acts involving very young children, underscoring the gravity of Welch’s offenses.

Judge Climie concluded by warning Welch that any breach of the court's order would result in immediate imprisonment, emphasizing the seriousness with which the court views such offenses and the importance of compliance with the legal restrictions imposed.