MICHAEL BERRY FROM ORRELL ESCAPES JAIL AGAIN AFTER BEING CAUGHT WITH HUNDREDS OF CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN BOLTON AND WIGAN

In March 2021, Michael Berry, a 36-year-old man from Orrell, narrowly avoided imprisonment after a court heard about his disturbing collection of indecent and prohibited images of children. The proceedings took place at Bolton Crown Court, where Berry appeared visibly distressed, sobbing and trembling throughout his sentencing hearing.

Berry had previously pleaded guilty to possessing a total of 1,089 indecent images of children, along with 4,469 prohibited images, which are often referred to as pseudo images of children. The severity of his collection was underscored by the fact that among the indecent images, 119 were classified as Category A, indicating the most serious level of abuse, while 110 were Category B, and 860 fell into Category C. These images depict varying degrees of harm, with Category A images being the most graphic and disturbing.

Neil Ronan, prosecuting, recounted that Berry had a prior conviction in March 2019, when he was given a community order after admitting to three counts of possessing indecent images and an extreme pornographic image. As part of his ongoing legal restrictions, Berry was subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order. Three months after this order was issued, a police officer visited his residence on Ash Grove, Orrell, to install monitoring software on his laptop, raising concerns about his internet activity.

On November 11, police returned to Berry’s home to arrest him. When they knocked, there was no answer. However, by what was described as a fortunate coincidence, Berry’s father was passing by and stopped to let the officers inside. Once inside, officers found Berry standing on the landing of his home, and in his bedroom, they discovered a laptop along with four attached hard drives. During his interview with police, Berry became visibly upset and expressed remorse, saying, “I’m sorry, it’s happening again.”

Defence lawyer Nicholas Ross explained that Berry viewed his obsession with these images as an addiction. He described Berry as someone who lives with his parents—his father’s health is not good, and his mother was present in court. Ross highlighted that Berry had held employment in retail over the years but had struggled to find work recently due to the shame and humiliation associated with his legal issues. The lawyer expressed hope that once released, Berry would be able to secure employment and possibly move into his own independent accommodation. Ross also noted that Berry had completed the Horizon programme, designed for medium-risk sex offenders.

Judge Timothy Stead allowed Berry’s mother, Catherine, to give a statement from the witness box. She described her son as a lonely individual who used to have friends at school but now often feels isolated. She explained that she accompanies him when he goes out because he cannot go alone due to past abuse, and she expressed concern about the impact of his behaviour on their family relationships. Mrs. Berry admitted that she had tried to walk him around their neighborhood but was nervous every time, and she lamented that many people no longer talk to her, despite her not having done anything wrong.

Judge Stead questioned Mrs. Berry about whether she had made it clear to her son that his actions were “not only disgusting but very very wrong.” She responded that she believed he did not fully grasp the severity of his actions when viewing the images but acknowledged that it could give others the impression that he was capable of such acts. She expressed hope that he was genuinely trying to change, especially after completing the Horizon programme.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Stead sentenced Berry to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years. Addressing Berry directly, the judge emphasized the importance of his mother’s influence and the household environment, stating, “You owe a great debt to your mother. She has spoken very sensibly and persuasively and I’m satisfied that the household is a good one.” The judge warned Berry that this was his last chance to turn his life around and not let his parents down.

He further explained that Berry’s continued viewing and searching for such images after his previous conviction indicated an ongoing addiction or extreme habit. The court made it clear that this activity fuels the cycle of abuse and must be stopped. Additionally, Berry was ordered to adhere to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, sign the sex offenders register for the next decade, and complete 30 days of rehabilitation activities.

Earlier, in February 2019, Berry had admitted to possessing hundreds of vile images, including child abuse and animal pornography. He appeared before Wigan and Leigh magistrates, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of creating indecent images of children, with 417 images in the most serious Category A, 226 in Category B, and 162 in Category C. He also admitted to possessing an extreme pornographic image depicting a person engaging in sexual acts with a dog and an unknown animal, which was deemed grossly offensive. The case was subsequently transferred to Bolton Crown Court for sentencing, and Berry was released on unconditional bail pending his court appearance scheduled for March 13, 2021.