PHILIP ALLEN FROM MILTON KEYNES AND POTTERSBURY ESCAPES JAIL AFTER DOWNLOAD OF CHILD INDECENT IMAGES

In December 2016, Philip Allen, a religious studies teacher with ties to Milton Keynes and Pottersbury, was involved in a disturbing case involving the possession of a significant number of indecent images of children. Allen, who was employed at Shenley Brook School in Milton Keynes, was found to have downloaded over 250 such images, a revelation that shocked the local community and drew the attention of law enforcement authorities.

Allen pleaded guilty to seven charges of possessing indecent images on October 17. These charges were later consolidated into four counts during the court proceedings. Despite the severity of the allegations, Allen was not sentenced to immediate imprisonment but received a nine-month prison sentence, which was suspended for 18 months. The court, presided over by Judge Rupert Mayo, expressed disappointment that due to cuts in the probation service, Allen could not be enrolled in a more intensive treatment program aimed at addressing his behavior.

The investigation into Allen’s activities began when police executed a warrant at his residence on High Street in Pottersbury on June 9 of the same year. During the search, authorities seized multiple pieces of computer equipment. Analysis of these devices revealed the presence of more than 250 indecent images of children, with 173 classified as Category A, indicating the most serious type of abuse, including images depicting young children being raped.

Prosecutor Jonathan Dunne detailed the disturbing content found on Allen’s devices. Among the images were photographs of a pre-pubescent boy engaged in sexual acts with an adult, as well as images of young teenage girls who appeared to be tied up. Category B images included depictions of infants involved in oral sex, and there were also two prohibited cartoons illustrating children in sexual scenarios. It is important to note that none of these images were linked to any pupils at Shenley Brook School.

The investigation revealed that Allen had been downloading these images over a period of two years. Additionally, approximately 141,000 files had been removed from his devices using hard drive cleaning software, raising questions about whether any of these deleted files contained indecent images. Authorities also uncovered concerning internet searches, including queries such as “vibrators for teens” and “small silver vibrator,” which added to the evidence of inappropriate behavior.

Allen was arrested on June 9 but initially refused to comment during his first police interview. However, four days later, he contacted the police requesting a re-interview, during which he admitted to downloading the images. As part of his sentence, Allen will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years and will be required to register as a sex offender for the same duration. These measures are designed to prevent him from working with children in the future and to monitor his activities closely.