NIGEL DEACON FROM SLEAFORD SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND BESTIALITY OFFENSES IN LINCOLN

In a serious case that has shocked the community of Sleaford and the surrounding Lincolnshire area, Nigel Deacon, a 58-year-old resident of North Road in Cranwell, faced significant legal proceedings after being found guilty of possessing an enormous collection of indecent images of children and explicit material involving animals. The case was brought to light after a detailed investigation by Lincolnshire Police, which uncovered disturbing evidence linking Mr Deacon to the distribution and possession of highly illegal content.

In March 2021, Deacon pleaded guilty in Lincoln Magistrates Court to the possession of nearly 33,000 indecent images of children, with the images dating back over a decade from 2008 to 2019. The images were categorized into different levels of severity, with seven classified as the most serious Category A, 67 as Category B, and a staggering 32,346 as Category C. These figures highlight the extent of his involvement in the creation and dissemination of such harmful material.

Additionally, Mr Deacon admitted to possessing 124 images and videos that depicted explicit acts involving animals, which were described as grossly offensive, disgusting, or obscene. The content was so realistic that a reasonable observer would believe the acts involved actual persons and animals, further emphasizing the severity of the offense.

The investigation was initiated after Lincolnshire Police received information from a trusted source indicating that a user of BT Broadband was accessing the internet to download and share indecent images of children. The police traced the IP address associated with the activity back to Mr Deacon. On July 18, 2019, officers executed a search warrant at his home, leading to his arrest on suspicion of making and distributing such illegal images.

During the search, multiple electronic devices were seized and subjected to forensic analysis. The evidence recovered confirmed the presence of a vast number of illegal images and videos. Prosecutor Micheal Little, speaking via video link, explained that Mr Deacon had made admissions regarding his possession of the images during police interviews. He also noted that prior to this case, Mr Deacon was considered a man of good character, which made the case particularly troubling given the volume and nature of the material involved.

Mr Little further emphasized that the images had been shared on peer-to-peer file-sharing sites, indicating a level of distribution that complicates sentencing. The case was deemed serious enough that the Crown Court was involved for sentencing proceedings, and Mr Deacon was granted unconditional bail pending the hearing. The court also ordered that he be placed on the sex offenders register for ten years and issued a ten-year sexual harm prevention order. Furthermore, in April 2021, Deacon received an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, along with a requirement to complete 50 days of rehabilitation activities.

This case underscores the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to combat the distribution of illegal and harmful content online, and it serves as a stark reminder of the severe legal consequences faced by individuals involved in such activities in Lincolnshire and beyond.