NIGEL EDWARDS CODDINGTON PAEDOPHILE AVOIDS JAIL AFTER CHILD ABUSE IMAGE SCANDAL
| Red Rose Database
Coddington Child Sexual Abuser
In August 2021, Nigel Edwards, a man with a troubling history and known for his connections to the BBC and the Church of England, faced serious allegations related to child exploitation. Edwards, aged 69 and residing in Coddington, Herefordshire, was found to possess a collection of disturbing child abuse images during a police raid on his home. The authorities seized his computer hard drives, which contained illicit material involving children as young as ten years old.
Initially, Edwards denied any involvement, claiming that someone else had access to his computer and was responsible for the illegal content. However, subsequent forensic examinations confirmed his direct involvement. The police investigation revealed that Edwards had been making indecent images of children between October 2011 and February 2012, a fact that was established in court proceedings at Worcester Crown Court.
Despite the gravity of the charges, Edwards was not sentenced to immediate imprisonment. Instead, he received a suspended eight-month jail sentence, which will not be enforced unless he commits another offence within the next two years. The presiding judge, James Burbridge, emphasized the seriousness of the crime, stating, “There are a modest number of indecent images and movies, nonetheless each represents serious abuse of a child. You well know that at 69 years of age, and because of your antecedence.”
Edwards’s criminal past is extensive. He previously served a four-year prison sentence for child sex offences committed during his tenure as a BBC local radio broadcaster in the 1990s. In 1997, he was convicted of indecent assault and two counts of a serious sexual offence against a 13-year-old boy in 1992. During that period, Edwards was also a lay member of the Church of England’s General Synod, the legislative body of the church.
Further details emerged during the trial, revealing that Edwards had befriended a teenage choirboy, who was the victim of his earlier abuse. The court heard that Edwards assaulted the young man at his former residence in Malvern, Worcestershire, and also indecently assaulted another male victim in 1994. Prosecutor Lynette McClement explained that Edwards’s latest offences were uncovered when police arrested him in connection with a separate incident. During the investigation, a computer tower was seized, revealing two hard drives with material involving children as young as ten. The forensic analysis confirmed that Edwards’s profile was active on the computer at the time the illicit material was accessed.
As part of his sentencing, Edwards was ordered to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activities, pay costs of £340, and a victim surcharge of £156. Additionally, he is now required to register on the sexual offences register and is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order that restricts his internet usage. These measures aim to prevent further offending and protect potential victims from Edwards’s harmful actions.
Initially, Edwards denied any involvement, claiming that someone else had access to his computer and was responsible for the illegal content. However, subsequent forensic examinations confirmed his direct involvement. The police investigation revealed that Edwards had been making indecent images of children between October 2011 and February 2012, a fact that was established in court proceedings at Worcester Crown Court.
Despite the gravity of the charges, Edwards was not sentenced to immediate imprisonment. Instead, he received a suspended eight-month jail sentence, which will not be enforced unless he commits another offence within the next two years. The presiding judge, James Burbridge, emphasized the seriousness of the crime, stating, “There are a modest number of indecent images and movies, nonetheless each represents serious abuse of a child. You well know that at 69 years of age, and because of your antecedence.”
Edwards’s criminal past is extensive. He previously served a four-year prison sentence for child sex offences committed during his tenure as a BBC local radio broadcaster in the 1990s. In 1997, he was convicted of indecent assault and two counts of a serious sexual offence against a 13-year-old boy in 1992. During that period, Edwards was also a lay member of the Church of England’s General Synod, the legislative body of the church.
Further details emerged during the trial, revealing that Edwards had befriended a teenage choirboy, who was the victim of his earlier abuse. The court heard that Edwards assaulted the young man at his former residence in Malvern, Worcestershire, and also indecently assaulted another male victim in 1994. Prosecutor Lynette McClement explained that Edwards’s latest offences were uncovered when police arrested him in connection with a separate incident. During the investigation, a computer tower was seized, revealing two hard drives with material involving children as young as ten. The forensic analysis confirmed that Edwards’s profile was active on the computer at the time the illicit material was accessed.
As part of his sentencing, Edwards was ordered to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activities, pay costs of £340, and a victim surcharge of £156. Additionally, he is now required to register on the sexual offences register and is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order that restricts his internet usage. These measures aim to prevent further offending and protect potential victims from Edwards’s harmful actions.