RUSHDEN MAN STEVEN BARROW ADMITS TO POSSESSING OVER 1,400 INDECENT IMAGES INCLUDING ANIMAL ABUSE PICTURES

In August 2013, Steven Barrow, a man residing in Rushden, faced serious allegations in connection with the possession of a large collection of indecent and abusive images involving children. The charges detailed that Barrow had downloaded more than 1,400 such images, which ranged in severity from level one to level five, indicating a progression towards more extreme content. Among these images, authorities discovered 130 depicting acts of sexual intercourse with animals, a particularly disturbing category of extreme pornography.

Barrow, aged 31 at the time, admitted during a court hearing that his collection of indecent images was obtained while he was searching for photographs of youths over the age of 16. He explained that his initial intent was to find images of older teenagers, but the material he encountered quickly escalated into more disturbing content, including images of children aged between four and twelve being sexually assaulted. This revelation was made during a session at Bedford Magistrates’ Court, where the prosecutor, Camille Gifford, outlined the details of the case.

According to Gifford, the offences were committed at Barrow’s former residence in Turvey, with the crimes having taken place on or before June 28 of the previous year. The police had acted on intelligence suggesting that Barrow was accessing indecent images of children, which led to a search of his home and the seizure of his computer equipment. The authorities found no evidence to suggest that Barrow had distributed these images or shared them with others, indicating that his possession was likely for personal viewing.

During the hearing, Barrow was cooperative with the authorities. Initially, he denied having any indecent images on his devices, claiming he did not think he possessed any. However, he later admitted that he had begun searching for images of youths over 16, but the material he encountered became increasingly extreme, including images of children being sexually assaulted and the disturbing collection of animal abuse images.

His legal representatives agreed that the case should be sentenced at the magistrates’ court and requested that consideration be given to Barrow’s guilty plea, which he entered at the earliest opportunity. They also noted that Barrow now resides in Lilac Grove, Rushden, and emphasized his cooperation during the investigation.

The court decided to adjourn the case to allow for pre-sentencing reports to be prepared. Barrow was granted unconditional bail and is scheduled to return to Bedford Magistrates’ Court on October 1 for sentencing proceedings.