A CONVICTED sex-offender who was subject to monitoring under a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) designed to protect the public, has been jailed after police were required to force entry to his home and discover a haul of indecent child imagery.
John Llewelyn James (56) from Henry Street, Enniskillen admitted 10 counts of possessing indecent child images and breaching the SOPO by having access to computers with internet capacity without consent.
Offending occurred on dates between 22 April and 13 May 2023.
Prosecuting counsel Michael McAleer told Dungannon Crown Court, “The existence of the SOPO hasn’t prevented further offending. The defendant clearly has a desire for a certain type of image involving children.”
He explained police were required to force entry to James’ home and discovered internet-capable devices which he had obtained without the prior consent of his Designated Risk Manager.
When arrested and interviewed he admitted, “Looking on the Dark Web and downloading videos and images.”
The details of the images are too graphic and disturbing to report save to say they depicted babies and toddlers being raped.
Judge Brian Sherrard said the case was aggravated by, “The sophistication of searches and use of the Dark Web, combined with the particularly distressing nature of the images.”
He noted James had previously served a custodial sentence after he was caught with 23,500 child abuse images.
Judge Sherrard told him, while a consultant psychiatric report found vulnerability due to mental health issues there is however, “No difficulty with cognitive ability and I have no doubt at all times you recognised the utter wrongness of what you were engaged in. The SOPO breach was nothing short of fully deliberate. Any such breach is seen as an affront to the court as it allowed you to go on to commit serious crime.”
In terms of the abuse imagery the judge remarked, “The harm is quite obvious and your viewing was egregious. There were a total of 188 Category A moving images which is significant in relation to sentencing. These are not victimless crimes. Though you have not touched the children depicted, you and those like you create a market that provokes continued abuse of children. These children are not just abused once, but countless times due to the humiliation of being recorded. Offences such as this are rightly held to be despicable. Our community has an expectation that those who offend in this matter will face condign consequences”
Taking account of James’ guilty plea, Judge Sherrard however noted, “I bear in mind the first rehabilitative attempts with you were unsuccessful and only custody will suffice.”
He imposed a sentence of 16 months imprisonment, to be split evenly between custody and on licence.
James will remain on the Sex Offender Register for 10 years and a SOPO until further order as, “It is clear you have a sexual attraction to prepubescent children. You are a repeat offender, and these orders are both necessary and proportionate.”
Judge Sherrard concluded by granting a Destruction Order for all seized devices and images.
To read more.. Subscribe to current edition
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere