STEPHEN MCLAUGHLIN FROM COLERAINE SENTENCED FOR HORRIFIC CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES BUT RELEASED AFTER TIME SERVED

In a case that has shocked the community of Coleraine, Stephen McLaughlin, a 56-year-old resident of Laburnum Place, has been sentenced for possessing an alarming collection of over 200,000 indecent images and videos depicting children. Despite the severity of his crimes, McLaughlin is set to be released from custody today, having served the majority of his sentence and with only seven months remaining on his supervised prison license.

McLaughlin’s sentencing took place at Antrim Crown Court, where Judge Richard Greene QC addressed the court and the defendant. The judge acknowledged the gravity of the case, noting that while it might have been appropriate to impose a probation order to help McLaughlin address his deviant tendencies, such an approach could be viewed as a double punishment given the extensive time he had already spent on remand. Ultimately, the court decided that the time served was sufficient, and McLaughlin was effectively released on the basis of his detention period.

As part of his sentence, McLaughlin was ordered to sign the police Sex Offenders Register for a period of ten years and was subjected to a ten-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order. The judge emphasized the seriousness of the case, stating, “This is a very serious case and you know that.” He further pointed out that McLaughlin was fully aware of the nature of his illegal activities, which involved accessing and storing a vast amount of disturbing material. The court detailed that the images and videos included approximately 2,000 that fell into the most heinous category, depicting extremely disturbing content.

Earlier in the proceedings, McLaughlin pleaded guilty to 22 charges related to the possession of indecent images of children, along with one charge of possessing prohibited images, covering the period from January 1, 2015, to May 21, 2019. Prosecutor Michael Chambers revealed that police had raided McLaughlin’s home in May three years prior. During the investigation, McLaughlin admitted to possessing the illegal material, stating, “sure, you know I do,” but insisted that he had not engaged in distribution of the content.

Further examination of his electronic devices uncovered that McLaughlin had used two different covert browsers to search for and store the offending material. He openly admitted to having a sexual interest in children, which was corroborated by the evidence. The police found a staggering total of 205,000 images and videos, categorized as 197,000 in Category C, 4,000 in Category B, and 2,000 in Category A, the most severe classification.

It was also noted that McLaughlin’s criminal record included a previous conviction for a “contact sexual offence” in the mid-1990s, which aggravated the seriousness of his current offenses. The judge explained that the custodial threshold had been surpassed based on the sentencing guidelines and range, leading to the conclusion that McLaughlin’s time in custody was sufficient for the gravity of his crimes. Consequently, he was released on time served, with the legal and community implications of his actions underscored by the court’s sentencing remarks.