NATHAN SMITH FROM WICKHAM BISHOPS ESCAPES JAIL DESPITE CHILD ABUSE ONLINE ACTIVITY

In June 2016, Nathan Smith, a 30-year-old resident of Station Road in Wickham Bishops, was involved in a disturbing case related to online child exploitation. Smith was found to have engaged in highly inappropriate internet activity, including searching for videos depicting children being beheaded and discussing sexual abuse videos in chat rooms. Despite the severity of his online searches and communications, he was ultimately spared imprisonment.

His activities came to light after the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP), a division of the National Crime Agency, identified his online presence. They uncovered messages posted on a chat room where Smith was asking a user from the United States to send him videos of children involved in sexual acts. These messages revealed a disturbing interest in both sexual abuse and violent content involving minors.

Further investigation revealed that Smith’s email address was linked to these conversations. On April 27 of the previous year, Essex Police received information from CEOP about this email account, which had initiated a dialogue with an American chatroom user. During these exchanges, Smith expressed a desire to obtain videos of children engaging in sexual activities and asked the other party to send him copies of such material.

On August 6, 2015, police executed a warrant at Smith’s residence, seizing multiple electronic devices from his bedroom. During the subsequent examination of these devices, authorities accessed his internet search history. Among numerous searches related to children engaging in sexual acts with adults, investigators discovered a search specifically looking for videos of children being beheaded.

Initial police interviews with Smith yielded limited cooperation, as he responded with “no comment” to all questions. However, during a follow-up interview in February of this year, Smith attempted to explain the presence of the illicit images on his devices, which included an Acer laptop and a Zoostorm computer. He claimed that most of the content was unknown to him, attributing it to viruses and asserting that the only images he possessed were ones he had taken himself.

During questioning, Smith also revealed that he lived with his parents, neither of whom used the internet or owned any computer equipment. When asked about his search terms, he again responded with “no comment,” suggesting that some searches were driven by curiosity rather than sexual motivation. Authorities found a total of 31 images on his devices, including 14 classified as Category B, indicating a more serious level of indecency.

Legal representatives, including Harry Warner, acknowledged that Smith was struggling to come to terms with the gravity of his actions. The case was heard by Judge Christopher Ball QC, who considered Smith’s previously clean criminal record and good character. Despite the serious nature of the offenses, the judge decided not to impose a custodial sentence.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Ball emphasized the vulnerability of children at the age of 12 or 13, noting that they are increasingly interested in sex and thus susceptible to exploitation. He condemned the use of the internet to access child pornography, stressing that such images are created through the abuse of minors. The judge made it clear that offenders like Smith need to understand the harm caused and the boundaries that should never be crossed.

As part of his sentence, Smith was given a community order, which included 100 hours of unpaid work. Additionally, he was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and mandated to participate in an internet sex offenders treatment program, aiming to address his behavior and prevent future offenses.