STEPHEN HOWARD FROM GREAT COATES JAILED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES IN GRIMSBY

In a serious case that has shocked the community of Great Coates, Stephen Howard has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of possessing a vast collection of child pornography. The charges stem from the discovery of hundreds of disturbing images and videos stored on his personal computer, which included extremely graphic material involving children as young as six months old and others aged between three and seven years.

Howard, aged 47 and residing on Woad Lane in Great Coates, faced a total of 24 charges in Grimsby Crown Court. These charges comprised 18 counts of possession of indecent images of children and six counts of possession with intent to show these images to others. The offences were committed over a period spanning from 2006 to the previous year, highlighting a prolonged period of illicit activity.

During the court proceedings, Howard admitted to all charges. The court also imposed a lifelong ban on him working with children and mandated that he register as a sex offender for the next ten years. The judge, Recorder Euan Duff, emphasized the gravity of the case, stating, "The increase in possession and distribution inevitably leads to an increased market. That is the evil behind this offending and leads on to the abuse of children further down the line."

He further described the images as "appalling" and expressed his hope that Howard would feel shame for his actions. The court was told that the police uncovered the extensive collection of illicit material during a raid on Howard’s home in April of the previous year. The investigation revealed that the images and videos had been shared with another individual via a file-sharing system, raising concerns about the potential distribution of such material.

Stephen Welch, prosecuting, explained that the police’s discovery was a result of a warrant executed at Howard’s residence. The authorities found the large cache of images and movies stored on his computer, which was subsequently ordered to be forfeited and destroyed. The court also heard that Howard was providing full-time care for his mother, who was invalid, and that there was no evidence linking him to a wider paedophile ring or suggesting he was involved in creating or commissioning the images.

In mitigation, Jonathan Spicer highlighted Howard’s role as a caregiver and pointed out that he was not involved in the production of the illicit material. The court was also informed that Howard had contributed positively to the community by helping to raise £250,000 for a charitable cause, although the specific charity was not named in court. Despite these mitigating factors, the judge made it clear that the possession and sharing of such images are serious offences with severe consequences, leading to the confiscation and destruction of Howard’s computer and disks containing the illegal content.