BANBURY PAEDOPHILE AVOIDS JAIL AFTER CHILD IMAGES FOUND

A paedophile named Shawn Rostron from East End Lane, Adderbury, has avoided a second jail sentence after child sex images found on his phone were revealed to have been present before his previous offending. Rostron was initially sentenced at Oxford Crown Court in March 2023 after being caught downloading indecent images of children. He was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. Rostron appeared in court again on July 19, charged with making indecent images of children, including one Category A, two Category B, and 184 Category C images. It was found that these images had been downloaded prior to or during his previous offences. Judge Ian Pringle stated, “I’m going to take a highly unusual course in a case like this and give a conditional discharge,” emphasizing the seriousness of possessing indecent images but noting that research showed these images existed on devices before his last court appearance. He was given a conditional discharge for two years and ordered to pay £150 in court costs. This case highlights the previous conviction where Rostron was sentenced in March 2023 after being caught downloading child images, and the recent discovery that these images dated from before his prior conviction. The judge remarked that if the earlier evidence had been considered, the outcome may have differed, pointing to the impact of the recent findings on his sentencing outcome.