SOUTH OXHEY PAEDOPHILE SIMON WEBB RECEIVES SUSPENDED SENTENCE IN ST ALBANS

In August 2010, Simon Webb, a 39-year-old from South Oxhey and a former science teacher at Townsend C of E School in St Albans, was handed a suspended sentence after admitting to distributing and possessing indecent images of children.

Webb was arrested in July when police executed a search warrant at his home. During the search, officers recovered a Packard Bell computer and a USB memory stick from a Tesco manager in Radlett, both containing disturbing images of young boys being abused. The investigation uncovered over 1,300 images, with a variety of severity levels on the abuse scale of one to five.

Most images were classified as level one, but there was a particularly serious file, which Webb claimed not to have viewed, that was classified as level five—the most severe. The Crown Court heard that Webb had owned his computer for five years and had been engaging in this activity for over two years.

Prosecutor Geoffrey Porter stated, "The charges arise from the examination of his computer and what he admitted during the course of the interview. He was entirely cooperative with police and made full admissions. He said he had owned his computer for five years and had been doing this over two years, therefore these are specimen charges."

He added, "The first three charges refer to distribution, and there appeared to be a certain degree of sophistication as they were sent in a Word document. That has the effect of potentially being the sort of document that won’t be picked up by firewalls in computers."

Webb, who had no prior convictions, pleaded guilty to 25 charges including making, distributing, and possessing indecent images of children. Although guidelines suggest a prison sentence of up to three years for distribution offenses, Webb's defence solicitor, Ruth Jones, urged the court not to send him to prison, noting that distribution was not the majority of the charges.

Judge Stephen Gullick, who considered several character references, agreed to suspend Webb’s sentence, stating that he would comply with any community order. Webb was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to participate in the Thames Valley Sex Offenders Programme for three years under probation supervision.

Additionally, Webb was placed under a Sex Offences Prevention Order prohibiting contact with anyone under 16 without the presence of a parent or guardian. The order will remain in effect until he turns 60. He is also required to sign the sex offenders' register for ten years, with a warning that breach of the order could result in imprisonment.

Judge Gullick concluded, "The most serious, without question, is the distribution of indecent images of children. But the fact you pleaded guilty and your previous good character means I can suspend the prison sentence."