NICHOLAS BLACK BIRSTALL SCHOOL GOVERNOR JAILED FOR DOWNLOAD OF OVER 60,000 CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN LEICESTER

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Birstall, Nicholas Black, a 61-year-old former school governor, has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after admitting to possessing and distributing a staggering collection of child abuse images. The offences, which spanned from April 2010 until his arrest in March 2011, involved the illegal possession of more than 60,000 indecent images depicting children being sexually abused.

Black, who was a member of the governing body at Riverside Community Primary School in Birstall at the time, was found to have an extensive and obsessive collection of these illicit materials. The court was informed that the sheer volume of images was so vast that police were unable to fully investigate every piece of indecent content. Importantly, it was clarified that none of the images were believed to involve children from the school where Black served as a governor.

Leicester Crown Court heard that the scale of Black’s illegal activities was significant, with the images categorized at various levels of severity, including the more serious levels four and five. Judge Robert Brown, presiding over the case, emphasized the damaging nature of such material, stating, “Those who make indecent images of children abuse them in the most damaging way and those who collect and distribute them also abuse children. Because without consumers like you, there’d be no market.”

Judge Brown detailed that Black’s collection was primarily focused on images of girls aged between one and 15 years old. The court was told that Black had shared his files with others, perpetuating his perversion and contributing to the wider distribution of this harmful material. Despite the severity of his actions, the judge acknowledged that Black had reportedly reformed his attitude and was now involved with and supported by his local church.

Prosecutor Alan Murphy revealed that police had executed a search warrant at Black’s residence, located on Dawes Meadow Road in Birstall, seizing two laptops, a computer tower, and a box containing over 100 DVDs and CDs. The investigation uncovered illicit material on one of the laptops, including movies, which contributed to the charges against him.

Black pleaded guilty to 10 specimen counts, which included possession of 3,362 images at the lowest level, 258 at level two, 770 at level three, 1,004 at level four, and 167 at the highest, level five. He also admitted to five counts of distribution involving an unspecified number of images across all levels.

During mitigation, defense lawyer Christopher Swistack stated that Black accepted the wrongfulness of his actions, expressed remorse, and was ashamed. Swistack highlighted that Black had been arrested over two and a half years prior and had since taken steps to rehabilitate himself, including paying for counseling and attending a rehabilitation course. The lawyer emphasized Black’s determination to avoid returning to such behavior.

As part of his sentence, Black was subjected to a 10-year sexual offences prevention order, which will enable authorities to monitor his computer use and prevent further offenses. The case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing battle against child exploitation and the importance of vigilance within communities like Birstall.