KIRKHEATON MAN MICHAEL RAYBOULD CAUGHT WITH CHILD ABUSE IMAGES AGAIN IN LEEDS

In June 2019, Michael Raybould, a 66-year-old from Kirkheaton, was once again found in possession of disturbing images of children, despite previous convictions and court orders. Raybould, who had previously amassed over 300,000 illicit child abuse images, was arrested when police visited his home to check on his compliance with a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO). During the visit, officers discovered dozens of new indecent images on his computer, breaching the conditions of his SOPO.

Raybould pleaded guilty in Kirklees Magistrates’ Court to two counts of making indecent photographs and breaching the SOPO. The order had been imposed in July 2011 at Leeds Crown Court after he admitted creating one of the largest collections of child pornography, including images of girls as young as eight. Police had seized computer equipment and DVDs from Raybould’s residence, uncovering a total of 315,531 images. Among them, Raybould had also taken an explicit photograph of himself and edited it into a collage featuring a naked young girl.

Throughout the investigation, 21 charges related to the making of indecent images and videos were brought against him. The judge described the case as “sad and pathetic” and referred to Raybould as a “lonely middle-aged man.” He was sentenced to 26 weeks in custody, suspended for two years, with conditions including supervision and attendance at an accredited sex offenders’ programme. Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender.

Despite these measures, Raybould was found to be in breach of his SOPO on August 14, when police visited his address on St Peter’s Crescent. They discovered 78 new indecent images saved on his computer, violating the order which forbade possession or downloading of child images unless permitted by a guardian. District Judge David Scanlon commented on the breach, stating: “The crown court made an order to prevent this kind of activity and the crown court can view where they place it against their order. They may go above what this court can impose, they may come down but I’ll leave that matter to the crown court.” Raybould was then referred to Leeds Crown Court for sentencing scheduled for July 2, and was granted unconditional bail pending a pre-sentence report.

In a related historical case from July 2011, Raybould, then aged 58, was also spared jail despite owning a staggering collection of over 300,000 child abuse images, including videos involving girls and adults. During that hearing, His Honour Judge Butterfield described Raybould as “a lonely middle-aged man,” emphasizing that his actions were for sexual gratification. The judge remarked, “The grouping images of these little girls is a sad and pathetic case,” and highlighted the harm inflicted on the children depicted.

Police investigation in June 2009 had uncovered his collection stored on two hard drives, DVDs, memory sticks, and viewed on a television. Raybould initially denied ownership, blaming a lodger and his wife, but he eventually confessed after police showed him the doctored collage he had created featuring his own naked photo with a young girl. During police interviews, Raybould described his behavior as “terrible” and “sick.” Despite his defense arguing boredom was a factor, Judge Butterfield dismissed these excuses, stating that Raybould was in denial about his problem.

Instead of imprisonment, Raybould's sentence was suspended for two years, with requirements to attend a sex offenders’ programme and sign the sex offenders’ register. The judge expressed concern about what would happen if Raybould simply served his sentence and then reoffended, noting the absence of support or intervention to prevent recurrence.