DEWSBURY PENSIONER WILFRED BATTY CAUGHT WITH 1,800 CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN SHOCKING CASE

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Dewsbury, Wilfred Batty, a 69-year-old resident, was found to be in possession of an alarming collection of over 1,800 indecent images of children. Despite the severity of the discovery, Batty was spared imprisonment and instead received a community order from the court.

The incident came to light in October 2012 when police officers visited Batty’s home in Dewsbury following an investigation into his online activity. It was revealed that he had accessed a website in June of the previous year, which had been compromised and subsequently hosted illegal images. Although the website was swiftly shut down, authorities maintained records of all individuals who had accessed it, leading to Batty’s identification.

During a detailed examination of Batty’s laptop, law enforcement officials uncovered a disturbing array of images. The files were categorized by severity, with 1,257 images classified at level one, the lowest in terms of seriousness, along with 62 images at level two, 197 at level three, 361 at level four, and eight at level five, the most severe. Prosecutor Richard Canning explained that Batty had been living alone for nine years and admitted that he was not particularly skilled with computers. He claimed that the images appeared while he was browsing adult pornography sites and that he had attempted to delete them.

Representing Batty, lawyer Khaleeq Zaman, stated that after acquiring the laptop, others had mentioned “girlie” sites to him, which he began exploring. However, he acknowledged that pop-up advertisements for child pornography appeared, and he admitted to foolishly viewing them. Importantly, Batty maintained that he did not derive any sexual gratification from the images.

Batty, of Moorside End in Dewsbury, pleaded guilty to 21 charges related to possessing indecent images of children. The court sentenced him to a three-year community order, which includes a high-level activity requirement and participation in a sex offender treatment program. Judge James Spencer QC described the offending as “shameful,” emphasizing that the impact on the victims depicted was “beyond imagination.” The judge also expressed hope that ongoing probation supervision would help prevent any future offending, aiming to protect the community from further harm.