MARK MINNIS FROM LIVERPOOL AND SOUTHPORT CAUGHT WITH CHILD INDECENT IMAGES IN WORKINGTON

In a case that has drawn significant attention, Mark Minnis, a man currently residing at Alexander View, Winscales, Workington, has been linked to the possession and creation of indecent images of children. The investigation into Minnis’s activities revealed a disturbing pattern of behavior that spanned several years and involved multiple locations, including Southport, Liverpool, and Workington.

According to court records, the incident dates back to April 2014, when police from Merseyside’s Abusive Images Unit conducted a raid on Minnis’s residence in Southport. At that time, officers discovered that Minnis had stored hundreds of indecent images of children on his computer. The police investigation was initiated after Gloucestershire Police identified Minnis’s internet address as one of 3,300 that accessed a compromised legitimate business website. This breach lasted for approximately 57 hours, during which folders containing illegal images were uploaded to the site.

On April 30, 2014, police seized Minnis’s computer tower for forensic analysis. The initial examination revealed some pornographic images involving minors. Following this discovery, authorities returned to arrest Minnis. During questioning, Minnis claimed that his computer had been infected by a Trojan virus, which he argued was responsible for the presence of the illegal images. He denied actively downloading or intentionally possessing such material, asserting that the images appeared on his device without his knowledge, as explained by Rob Jones, the prosecutor.

However, further forensic investigation uncovered a total of 545 indecent images on Minnis’s computer. Police then revisited his home in Hesketh Road, Southport, where he lived with his wife and family. During a subsequent interview, Minnis admitted that he had developed a “morbid curiosity” about such images and had actively searched for them online. He believed that by viewing and deleting the images, they would be permanently removed from his device. Nevertheless, police experts were able to recover 67 images that Minnis thought had been deleted, indicating that some images remained “live” on his system.

Mark Minnis, aged 50, now residing at Rose Lane, Mossley Hill, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to multiple charges. These included nine counts of making indecent images and one count of possession, with the offenses spanning from May 2011 to April 2014. The court heard that Minnis’s actions were deliberate and ongoing over several years.

Judge Denis Watson, QC, addressed Minnis’s case, emphasizing that although he had time to reflect on his behavior since his arrest, there was still work to be done. The judge ordered Minnis to be placed under supervision for a period of three years and mandated his attendance at the Northumbria sex offenders group work programme. Additionally, Minnis was required to sign the Sex Offender Register for five years and was subjected to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order that restricts his internet use for ten years, aiming to prevent further offenses and protect the community from potential harm.