STUART FINNIE FROM CARLETON SENTENCED IN SKIPTON FOR VIEWING CHILD INDECENT IMAGES

In a case that has drawn significant attention in the local community, Stuart Finnie, a 49-year-old resident of Carleton, has been formally sentenced after admitting to viewing indecent images of minors on his personal computer. The proceedings took place at Skipton magistrates' court, where Finnie faced charges related to the possession of explicit material involving underage girls.

Finnie pleaded guilty in March to possessing a total of 16 images of underage girls, with 13 of these classified as grade one severity—the lowest level on a scale that ranges from one to five—and three images at a level two severity. Additionally, he admitted to a composite charge involving the possession of a further 199 images, predominantly of level one, but also including some at level two. All these offences were committed on February 1 and 2, 2011.

Following a detailed pre-sentence report, Finnie was handed a community order that will last for two years, which includes 18 months of supervision. As part of his sentence, he is required to participate in an accredited rehabilitation program, as directed by the probation service, and must also register on the sexual offenders’ register. The court emphasized that these measures are intended to monitor and support Finnie as he addresses the underlying issues related to his offending.

The court proceedings revealed that police had initially questioned Finnie in February of the previous year, during which his computer, laptop, and other electronic devices were seized for investigation. The authorities discovered the indecent images stored in the recycle bin of his Apple computer tower. The images depicted two young girls, estimated to be around ten or eleven years old, and Finnie claimed that he had been directed to a file-sharing website where the images were located.

Finnie, who confirmed that he was the sole user of the computer, stated that he had deleted the images after viewing them. He also told police that he did not derive sexual gratification from the images, explaining that he had been abused as a child himself and was seeking to understand what had happened to him. His defense, led by solicitor Glen Maude, highlighted that Finnie used his computer for various legitimate purposes, including banking, planning holidays, and cultural research.

Ms. Maude acknowledged that Finnie had downloaded the images but argued that he had deleted them once he realized their nature. She explained that the images had been sent to the recycling bin and subsequently removed by Finnie’s CCleaner system. She emphasized that there was no evidence to suggest he had shared the images or actively searched for such material. An aggravating factor noted by the court was that the images involved girls under 13 years old, although the victims were unknown to police and could be located anywhere in the world.

Finnie, who is employed full-time, has been undergoing counseling and has the support of a small circle of close friends. Since admitting to the charges, he has taken steps such as signing the sexual offenders’ register on an interim basis and allowing police regular visits for monitoring purposes.

While the magistrates acknowledged Finnie’s lack of prior convictions, his early guilty plea, and the fact that most images were at the lowest level, they stressed the seriousness of viewing indecent images of children. They pointed out that such activity fuels a global market for child exploitation. Finnie was also ordered to pay costs amounting to £100, and a destruction order was issued for his computer tower. An application by police to impose a sexual offenders’ prevention order was rejected, as magistrates deemed it excessive and unnecessary under the circumstances.