SHAUN DUTTON OF DRIFFIELD SENTENCED FOR INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN

In June 2014, a man from Driffield, Shaun Dutton, aged 26, was sentenced after admitting to collecting and distributing over 1,800 indecent images of children and searching for photos of young kids as young as three. The court heard that Dutton downloaded and shared illegal images online, including some classified as the most serious category. He also messaged a stranger claiming to have had sex with young boys.

Dutton was identified when AOL, his internet provider, reported him for uploading an indecent image; shortly after, they suspended his email account. On Monday, 16 June, Dutton appeared at Hull Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to four charges linked to his possession and distribution of child abuse images.

The judge handed down a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, along with conditions that include attending the Northumbria Sex Offenders’ Treatment Programme and two years of supervision. Dutton is also required to register as a sex offender for 10 years and has been subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

Crown barrister Stephen Welch detailed that police raided Dutton’s home on Bracken Road on 21 August 2013, following AOL's report of an uploaded indecent image. During the search, officers recovered an iPad, two laptops, and a Samsung mobile phone. The mobile contained three indecent images; the Dell computer had 282, and the Fujitsu laptop held 1,213 images, including 364 of the worst kind, such as a child restrained by an adult.

Investigations revealed Dutton possessed images of children aged between three and six years. He organized these images into folders marked with labels like “boys” to facilitate his viewing. In police interviews, Dutton admitted to developing an interest in child images at the age of 15. He confessed to using the laptop and email account for illegal searches, initially prompted by curiosity, which later escalated to more frequent viewing—up to once a week at the time of arrest. He now claims he has ceased this activity.

Additionally, it was disclosed that at 2:30 am on 21 August 2013, Dutton searched for “13-year-old girl breasts” on a search engine. He also used the Kik messaging app to communicate with similar-minded individuals.

Mitigating, barrister Paul Norton noted that Dutton’s parents, present in court, were shocked and upset but supportive. He mentioned that Dutton had contacted the Lucy Faithfull charity and was beginning a course paid for by his mother. Norton emphasized that while the offences crossed the custody threshold, the extent of distribution was limited—Dutton had sent a single image from his phone to his email, which led to AOL's intervention. He also highlighted Dutton’s guilty plea at the earliest opportunity and his significant hearing disability, which could make incarceration more vulnerable.

Judge Michael Mettyear addressed Dutton directly, stating: “The fact that you, and others like you, view such images, makes it worthwhile that other abusers exploit these children. You are indirectly contributing to this abuse. That is why the courts consider a custodial sentence, and the message must be clear.” He described some images as depicting “the sexual indignity perpetrated on these young children,” which he found disturbing and disgusting. The judge observed that Dutton appeared to be a lonely and naïve individual and initially contemplated sending him to prison. Before departing, Judge Mettyear warned him: “This morning I was thinking of sending you to prison. You have been lucky.”