NICHOLAS GUEST, DARLASTON PAEDOPHILE, SENTENCED IN WOLVERHAMPTON COURT

In June 2014, Nicholas Guest, a mobile phone salesman from Darlaston, was found to possess over 300 indecent images of children stored across his mobile phone and computer devices, following police raids at his residence and workplace.

During the investigation, it was reported that some of the images and videos collected by police were so disturbing that a court recorder stated the child involved would have been "traumatised and even injured" by the activities depicted.

The court heard that Guest began collecting these shocking images in September 2010. The police carried out a coordinated operation on September 5, last year, seizing a computer and an iPad from his Darlaston home, where he lived with his partner of eight years. Simultaneously, officers arrested him at his workplace in Walsall, and a mobile phone was recovered from his vehicle.

Prosecutor Mr. Mark Rees explained that all the confiscated devices contained images of children with sexual content. "These were serious images, including a moving film stored on an iPad and copied onto another computer," he stated. He also mentioned that Guest's partner fully cooperated with authorities, helping identify the devices he had used.

The court was informed that 291 of the images were classified as Category C, 15 as Category B, and three as Category A—considered the most serious level of indecency. Additionally, evidence indicated some images had been deleted but could only be accessed with specialized software.

Guest was interviewed twice by police after his arrest but refused to make any statements during both sessions. Defense lawyer Mr. Jasvir Mann acknowledged the impact his client’s actions had caused, noting that Guest's employment and relationship had suffered as a result. "He is slowly coming to understand how he got into this situation," Mr. Mann said. "A lack of thought went into his actions. He is thoroughly ashamed."

In sentencing, Recorder Oscar Del Fabbro expressed concern over the gravity of the moving images found in Guest’s possession, stating, "Most worrying is the moving images you produced. I am satisfied the child involved would have been traumatised, even injured by the actions taking place. Yet still you have never fully explained why you had these images in your possession."

Guest, aged 46, of Dorsett Road, Darlaston, pleaded guilty to four counts of possessing indecent images of children and two counts of making indecent images of children. The court noted that Guest was not involved in filming or photographing the images.

He received a 36-month community order, under which he will be supervised for the same duration. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for five years and was fined £340 in costs.