MARK BRIGGS FROM SPEEDWELL JAILED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN BRISTOL
| Red Rose Database
Speedwell Sexual Abuser
In August 2011, a disturbing case emerged involving Mark Briggs, a man residing in Speedwell, who was found to have downloaded and possessed an alarming collection of child abuse images and videos. Briggs, a former bus driver, was sentenced to a year in prison after an investigation uncovered his extensive online activity involving indecent material.
Briggs, aged 50 and a grandfather living on Selby Road in Speedwell, admitted to police that he had sought out images of girls aged 16 or 17. The police investigation revealed that he possessed a staggering total of 4,800 child abuse photographs and 51 videos depicting abuse. Additionally, authorities discovered one extreme pornography clip involving bestiality among his files. Further forensic analysis of his computer indicated that there were approximately 28,000 more images stored on his device, which the police were unable to access due to encryption or file corruption.
During the court proceedings at Bristol Crown Court, Judge Mark Horton addressed Briggs directly, emphasizing the severity of the material he had collected. The judge stated, "I have seen the images concerned. They involve extremely young children, not just those under 16 but a child not yet a year old. You must understand that such images and the harm they represent do not only affect the victims physically but cause profound psychological damage that lasts a lifetime. The knowledge that there are perverts like you who view such images for their own gratification perpetuates this cycle of abuse."
As part of his sentence, Briggs was ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years. He was also permanently barred from working with children or vulnerable adults. An indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order was imposed to prevent him from having any contact with minors, and he was prohibited from accessing internet file-sharing sites or viewing any pornography. The court's measures aimed to prevent any further risk to the public.
Prosecutor Mark Humphries explained that police had traced the source of the illegal material to Briggs’s computer address. When authorities visited his home, they found him there with his wife and his two-year-old granddaughter. Briggs’s computer equipment was seized, and he subsequently admitted to police that he had downloaded material he knew he shouldn’t have. During his police interview, Briggs claimed he was seeking images of teenage girls and that he had saved around eight or nine video clips. He insisted that he was not sexually aroused by what he viewed.
Further investigation revealed that Briggs’s collection was predominantly in the lowest category of harm, with most images depicting young children posing. Police found that Briggs had organized the images into folders, which indicated a deliberate effort to categorize his collection. He had been using a file-sharing site from February 2007 until April 2010, during which time police discovered approximately 28,090 images that they could not open or access. Although he did not distribute the images, the files were available for others to view or download from his account.
Briggs’s defense lawyer, Nicholas O’Brien, stated that his client had voluntarily presented himself to police the day after his equipment was seized. O’Brien emphasized that Briggs called himself a “prat” and claimed that he may have glimpsed some of the images, including one of a child under one year old, but rejected them. The lawyer explained that Briggs’s habit of filing documents and images was out of routine, similar to how he stored bills and other personal files, and that there was no evidence to suggest he shared or intended to share the material with others.
O’Brien also noted that Briggs, who had been employed as a bus driver, had resigned from his position. The legal consequences could include the loss of his driving license, which would force him to seek lower-paid employment in a different field, such as van driving. The case highlights the serious nature of possession and downloading of child abuse images, and the court’s decision reflects the need to protect vulnerable individuals from potential harm.
Briggs, aged 50 and a grandfather living on Selby Road in Speedwell, admitted to police that he had sought out images of girls aged 16 or 17. The police investigation revealed that he possessed a staggering total of 4,800 child abuse photographs and 51 videos depicting abuse. Additionally, authorities discovered one extreme pornography clip involving bestiality among his files. Further forensic analysis of his computer indicated that there were approximately 28,000 more images stored on his device, which the police were unable to access due to encryption or file corruption.
During the court proceedings at Bristol Crown Court, Judge Mark Horton addressed Briggs directly, emphasizing the severity of the material he had collected. The judge stated, "I have seen the images concerned. They involve extremely young children, not just those under 16 but a child not yet a year old. You must understand that such images and the harm they represent do not only affect the victims physically but cause profound psychological damage that lasts a lifetime. The knowledge that there are perverts like you who view such images for their own gratification perpetuates this cycle of abuse."
As part of his sentence, Briggs was ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years. He was also permanently barred from working with children or vulnerable adults. An indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order was imposed to prevent him from having any contact with minors, and he was prohibited from accessing internet file-sharing sites or viewing any pornography. The court's measures aimed to prevent any further risk to the public.
Prosecutor Mark Humphries explained that police had traced the source of the illegal material to Briggs’s computer address. When authorities visited his home, they found him there with his wife and his two-year-old granddaughter. Briggs’s computer equipment was seized, and he subsequently admitted to police that he had downloaded material he knew he shouldn’t have. During his police interview, Briggs claimed he was seeking images of teenage girls and that he had saved around eight or nine video clips. He insisted that he was not sexually aroused by what he viewed.
Further investigation revealed that Briggs’s collection was predominantly in the lowest category of harm, with most images depicting young children posing. Police found that Briggs had organized the images into folders, which indicated a deliberate effort to categorize his collection. He had been using a file-sharing site from February 2007 until April 2010, during which time police discovered approximately 28,090 images that they could not open or access. Although he did not distribute the images, the files were available for others to view or download from his account.
Briggs’s defense lawyer, Nicholas O’Brien, stated that his client had voluntarily presented himself to police the day after his equipment was seized. O’Brien emphasized that Briggs called himself a “prat” and claimed that he may have glimpsed some of the images, including one of a child under one year old, but rejected them. The lawyer explained that Briggs’s habit of filing documents and images was out of routine, similar to how he stored bills and other personal files, and that there was no evidence to suggest he shared or intended to share the material with others.
O’Brien also noted that Briggs, who had been employed as a bus driver, had resigned from his position. The legal consequences could include the loss of his driving license, which would force him to seek lower-paid employment in a different field, such as van driving. The case highlights the serious nature of possession and downloading of child abuse images, and the court’s decision reflects the need to protect vulnerable individuals from potential harm.