PENKHULL MAN STEVEN HAWKES CAUGHT WITH CHILD PORN AT CURRYS PC WORLD IN STOKE

In August 2019, a disturbing case emerged involving Steven Hawkes, a former employee at Currys PC World, who committed serious breaches of trust and criminal acts while working at the retail giant's store in Stoke-on-Trent. Hawkes, a 38-year-old resident of Penkhull, was found to have engaged in a pattern of illegal activities that spanned over a decade, involving the theft and possession of highly illegal and disturbing images.

Hawkes’s misconduct came to light when police executed a search warrant at his home following an investigation into his activities at the store. During the raid, authorities seized multiple electronic devices, which revealed a staggering collection of 19,204 indecent images and videos of children, including 3,400 classified as the most severe Category A material. Additionally, officers uncovered 220 examples of extreme pornography, some depicting sexual acts involving animals, highlighting the severity of his offenses.

The investigation revealed that Hawkes exploited his position at Currys PC World, where he was responsible for transferring data from customers’ old computers and laptops to new devices purchased at the store. Instead of performing his duties ethically, he secretly copied customers’ hard drives onto external storage devices, often using thumb drives to facilitate the theft of personal data. This covert activity allowed him to access and view private photographs stored on customers’ devices, including sensitive images such as a teenage girl’s school prom photos and photographs of women’s breasts.

Prosecutor Richard McConaghy explained that Hawkes’s actions were motivated by sexual gratification. He admitted that he would browse through customers’ personal photos and, upon finding images that aroused him, would make copies of these files to take home. The police found evidence of this behavior on the devices seized from his home, including copies of a teenage girl’s hard drive containing personal photos stored in a folder labeled ‘Prom Photos.’

Hawkes’s criminal activities extended to viewing and collecting illegal images, which he initially accessed through mainstream sources before delving into the dark web, where he was further exposed to and sent illegal photographs by others. Despite claiming he intended to delete the images, he admitted he had not yet done so.

Following his arrest, Hawkes pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including making indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornography, computer misuse, and possession of cannabis. He had no prior convictions. The court, presided over by Recorder Balraj Bhatia, sentenced him to 16 months in prison, emphasizing the seriousness of his offenses. Hawkes was also ordered to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same duration.

While the exact location of Hawkes’s employment at the time of the offenses remains undisclosed, it is known that Currys PC World has stores in Festival Park and Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. The case underscores the importance of vigilance and accountability in retail environments, especially when dealing with sensitive customer data and the potential for misuse by employees.