EX-POLICEMAN MARTIN PARSONS FROM THETFORD JAILED OVER CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASE

In July 2003, a former probationary police officer from Thetford was sentenced to six months in prison after being found guilty of downloading and sharing indecent images of children through a file-sharing program. Martin Parsons, aged 31 and residing at Knipe Close, Tacolneston, near Long Stratton, appeared before Norwich Crown Court to receive his sentence.

Parsons had previously admitted to 12 counts of creating indecent images of children in October of the previous year, along with one count of possessing such images for the purpose of showing or distributing them. The prosecution, led by Richard Wood, outlined to the court that Parsons had downloaded photographs depicting children engaged in sexual acts with each other and with adults. These images were then made accessible online via his file-sharing software, which was labeled with provocative titles.

The court was informed that the software used by Parsons was similar to those typically employed for sharing music files. During a routine investigation, police discovered the files when they examined a website that offered search capabilities for both pornographic content and music files. The police found that Parsons had uploaded some of these images to the internet, making them available to others.

Defense lawyer Stephen Spence argued that Parsons might not have been fully aware of the explicit nature of the files he was downloading, as the file-sharing program automatically searches for files without user intervention. Spence emphasized that Parsons had lost his career and reputation due to the case, and that he had deleted most of the indecent material within a month of acquiring it.

Judge David Mellor, after considering references submitted on Parsons’ behalf, stated, “I have to sentence you for your involvement with child pornography. This matter seems to be entirely out of character and the risk of you re-offending is low indeed.”

In addition to the six-month prison term, Parsons was ordered to register as a sex offender for seven years. His computer equipment was also confiscated and ordered to be destroyed, as part of the court’s measures to prevent further misuse of such material.