HILPERTON CIVIL SERVANT STEVEN HAWKINS JAILED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN WILTSHIRE

In October 2011, Steven Hawkins, a married civil servant residing in Hilperton near Trowbridge, Wiltshire, was sentenced to a year in prison after being found guilty of possessing and creating a vast collection of indecent images of children. The case drew significant attention due to the shocking nature of the materials and Hawkins' own attempt to justify his actions.

Hawkins, aged 53, was employed as a civilian worker for the Ministry of Defence, holding a responsible position within the Navy. Despite his professional standing, police investigations uncovered a disturbing secret: Hawkins had amassed a staggering total of 28,114 indecent images of children, along with 199 videos, all stored across multiple CDs and DVDs. Many of these files were protected with up to ten layers of encryption, making access difficult and indicating a deliberate effort to conceal the material.

During the court proceedings at Swindon Crown Court, Hawkins attempted to downplay the severity of his collection. He claimed that he derived no sexual pleasure from the images and insisted that his hoarding was akin to stamp collecting or coin collecting—an analogy that was met with strong disapproval from the presiding judge, Euan Ambrose. The judge emphasized the grave difference between innocent collecting and the exploitation involved in the production of such images, which he described as driven by a market that fuels the abuse of children, including very young ones.

Prosecutor George Threlfall detailed the police raid conducted in July 2009, which was prompted by information suggesting Hawkins was involved in downloading child pornography. When authorities seized his computer and storage devices, they discovered a horrifying collection of material. The files included images of children under the age of thirteen, with many of the most serious images depicting children under ten, some as young as five. The earliest images dated back to October 1997, nearly twelve years before the raid, while the most recent had been created just a day prior to the police intervention.

Further examination revealed that Hawkins had been searching for terms like 'pre-teen hardcore' pornography, indicating a disturbing interest in very young children. The police also found over 3,000 encrypted files, which could not be accessed without the correct passwords. Hawkins admitted to possessing the files and creating the images, pleading guilty to one count of possession and thirteen counts of making indecent images of children.

His defense lawyer, Mike Jeary, explained that Hawkins had participated in a course run by the charity The Lucy Faithful Foundation to address his offending. Jeary stated that Hawkins encrypted the files to prevent others, including his wife, from discovering them, and that he had provided the police with the passwords when asked. However, the judge was unequivocal in condemning Hawkins' actions, stating that his initial denial and subsequent guilty plea demonstrated a recognition of guilt. The judge emphasized that Hawkins' claim of innocent collection was far from the reality of the case, which involved the exploitation and abuse of children.

In addition to his prison sentence, Hawkins was banned from working with children and was ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence commented that it was inappropriate for the department to further discuss what was ultimately a civil matter, but the case underscored the seriousness of the crimes committed by Hawkins in Wiltshire.