NEIL LA TOUCHE SENTENCED IN HOVE AND HULL FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES

In a significant case involving the possession of illegal child exploitation material, Neil La Touche, a 36-year-old former resident of Hove, has been formally sentenced for creating and possessing an extensive collection of indecent images of children. The investigation leading to his conviction was initiated by the Sussex Police's Paedophile On-Line Investigation Team (POLIT), which uncovered that La Touche had downloaded and stored over 20,000 such images from the internet.

La Touche was arrested in November 2010 at a flat located on Cromwell Road in Hove. Following his arrest, he was taken into custody and subsequently appeared before Lewes Crown Court. During the proceedings, La Touche pleaded guilty to the charges, acknowledging that he had drawn the images from online sources. The case was built on an intelligence-led operation, emphasizing the proactive efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat online child exploitation.

Detective Constable Jane Tunnicliff of Sussex Police clarified the nature of the investigation, stating, “There was no evidence of any ‘contact’ offending with children, whether directly or online, and no indication that any of the images, which were sourced from the internet, depicted local children. However, it is important to recognize that every image of this kind constitutes a serious offence of child abuse in itself.”

At the time of sentencing, La Touche was residing at Swanfield Road in Hull. The court handed down a sentence of nine months imprisonment, which was suspended for two years. Additionally, he was subjected to a two-year supervision order and was issued a Sexual Offence Prevention Order (SOPO), which imposes strict restrictions on his internet usage to prevent further offences. As part of his sentence, La Touche is also required to register as a sex offender for a decade, attend a specialized Sex Offender Treatment Programme (SOTP), complete 200 hours of community service, and pay court costs amounting to £300.

This case underscores the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to address the proliferation of online child exploitation materials and highlights the importance of vigilance and proactive investigation in safeguarding vulnerable children from abuse.