PAUL PEARSON FROM PADIHAM SENTENCED FOR POSSESSING INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN IN BURNLEY

In a serious case that has shocked the community of Padiham, an army cadet named Paul Pearson faced justice after authorities uncovered a disturbing collection of indecent images involving children. The investigation began in the summer of 2019 when police, acting on suspicions linked to an email address associated with Pearson, traced his online activity through his IP address. This led to a warrant being executed at his family home, where the young man was subsequently arrested and taken into custody for questioning.

During the police interview, Pearson cooperated to some extent, providing passwords to several of his online accounts. A subsequent search of these accounts revealed a horrifying array of images depicting children as young as seven years old. The images were classified into various categories based on their severity, with 25 images falling into the most severe category A, 52 in category B, 208 in category C, and an additional 30 images labeled as 'prohibited.'

In addition to the digital evidence, law enforcement officers discovered a can of pepper spray in Pearson’s bedroom, raising further concerns about his intentions and potential for harm. Despite the disturbing nature of the material, Pearson’s defense argued that he did not derive sexual gratification from possessing the images. They emphasized that he had entered early guilty pleas, was of previous good character, and had shown remorse for his actions.

It was also noted that Pearson, who was 21 at the time of sentencing and was 18 when he first came into possession of the images, had been suspended from his course at Nelson and Colne College. The court heard that he was required to move out of his family home following the revelations of his offenses.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Sara Dodd addressed Pearson directly, acknowledging his youth and the severity of the images involved. She stated, “You are a very young man and when you committed these offences you were younger still. The images that you downloaded were very disturbing. There are video images of young children being raped.” The judge also recognized Pearson’s claim of no sexual interest in children, noting that such a stance is not uncommon among offenders in similar situations.

Judge Dodd explained that the starting point for sentencing, given the presence of category A images, would typically be 12 months in prison. However, she took into account that the majority of the images were in category C and considered the aggravating and mitigating factors. She highlighted Pearson’s honesty, remorse, and lack of previous convictions, as well as his age at the time of the offenses.

Concluding her remarks, Judge Dodd expressed her belief that Pearson was unlikely to reoffend and opted for a community-based sentence to protect the public. She sentenced him to a two-year community order, which includes 40 days of rehabilitation requirements and 100 hours of unpaid work. Additionally, Pearson was placed under a sexual harm prevention order and will be subject to notification requirements for five years, ensuring ongoing monitoring of his activities and restrictions to prevent further harm.