DEDHAM MAN SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGES AND WICKR CHATS
A 26-year-old man named Peter Ellmore was arrested after Essex Police’s online investigations team raided his home in Bargate Lane, Dedham.During the police search in March 2021, authorities seized his mobile phone, which was found to contain 22 indecent images at the most serious level A category, alongside 23 at category B and 21 at category C.
Ipswich Crown Court heard that police also discovered Ellmore had engaged in chats over the online chat application Wickr, discussing the sexual abuse of a 14-month-old and a 3-month-old child.
A deputy circuit judge, David Pugh, indicated that Ellmore 'fantasised' about abusing children while how he would get gratification causing such children pain through sexual assault.
During police interviews, Ellmore stated that during lockdown he became lonely and just chatted to people, which then progressed to sharing images, although he claimed he did not share them with anyone else and was 'disgusted' by them.
He also admitted to publishing an obscene article and three counts of making indecent images of children.
The court was told he had no prior convictions and that he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Mitigating, Frank O’Toole, said Ellmore has ADHD, autism, and hypermobility, which are vulnerabilities that could affect his mental health if jailed, and that he had been 'very isolated' at the time, staying in his bedroom during the Covid lockdown, which presented a temptation he could not resist.
The judge sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, with conditions including completing an accredited offender program, 150 hours of unpaid work, and a 30-day rehabilitation activity.
Ellmore will remain on the sex offender register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.
The judge emphasized that 'these are real children and your offending behaviour encourages and promotes such offending against these children' and that 'these are not victimless crimes.' The case was considered aggravated due to one child in the images being under six months old, with the most serious images being classed as Category A, which carries a starting point of one year imprisonment according to sentencing guidelines.
