RICHARD BLAKELEY JAILED IN HECKMONDWIKE FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES IN BRADFORD ROAD RAID

In a significant case highlighting ongoing concerns over child exploitation, Richard Blakeley, a 46-year-old businessman from Heckmondwike, has been sentenced to prison for possessing a large collection of indecent images of children. The conviction follows a police raid on his business premises and subsequent investigations that uncovered thousands of illicit images stored on his personal and work computers.

Blakeley's residence on William Royd Lane in Heckmondwike was the focus of the police operation, which took place after authorities received intelligence regarding his activities. During the raid, officers seized two computers from his home, but no additional evidence was uncovered beyond the digital content. The police also visited his business, BJR Framing, located on Bradford Road in Birstall, where they discovered the images stored on his work computer. It was reported that Blakeley claimed he subscribed to adult gay pornography websites, and that some of the images of children were downloaded inadvertently, suggesting a possible attempt to explain or minimize his involvement.

Leeds Crown Court heard that the images found on Blakeley's devices numbered more than 7,000, with a total of 7,048 pictures recovered during the January 2006 police raid. Most of these images were classified at the lowest levels of seriousness, but their possession nonetheless constituted a serious criminal offense. The court was informed that Blakeley had a prior criminal record related to similar offenses. His first conviction dates back to December 1999, when he was sentenced to 16 weeks in jail by magistrates in Batley and Dewsbury after admitting to possessing six indecent images of children. Later, in March 2005, he was fined £220 and subjected to a sexual offences prevention order that prohibited him from viewing any images of children.

Despite these previous convictions and court orders, Blakeley was found again in possession of indecent images, leading to his current sentencing. He faced 15 charges of possessing indecent images and one charge of breaching the sexual offences prevention order. During the proceedings, Blakeley admitted to all charges, and it was confirmed that he will remain on the sex offenders register for life. The court was told that this pattern of offending demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law and the safety of children.

Judge Paul Hoffman, presiding over the case, sentenced Blakeley to a year in prison, emphasizing the seriousness of his repeated offenses. In his remarks, the judge condemned Blakeley's actions and his apparent indifference to the legal restrictions placed upon him, underscoring the importance of protecting vulnerable children from exploitation and abuse.