A convicted paedophile who reoffended while subject to a suspended sentence having previously narrowly avoided imprisonment for similar matters, has walked free again.
Charles Campbell (57) from Muckros Road, Kesh admitted possessing an indecent image of a child and an extreme pornographic image 20 June 2024.
He further admitted distributing an indecent image on 23 November 2023.
Offending was discovered when Campbell was arrested for breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) which was dealt with separately, but in the course of investigation his phone was seized and police discovered the indecent child images.
Campbell was also on bail pending appeal after being sentenced to two months imprisonment earlier this year for breaching the SOPO.
In this matter police received a report on June 15 2024 from an off-duty officer that Campbell had been conversing with two female children outside a restaurant.
He was observed putting his phone “up to their faces and film them, smiling as he did so”.”
Due to previous convictions for voyeurism, installing equipment for recording as well as making and possessing indecent child images, Campbell was given a suspended sentence in 2023 and made subject to the SOPO which includes a ban on any unsupervised contact with children.
He was arrested and identified himself when shown CCTV footage, in which he was “Clearly seen talking to two young females, one aged 10 and the other aged four. Another teenage girl was seated nearby. He used his phone to video the children and a small dog who was with them and notably took a close-up of the four-year-old. He then tapped his phone and walked out of sight.”
In interview Campbell accepted talking to the children and asked if he could take their photo to put on his Snapchat.
The mother of one child told police he had earlier asked if he could take a photograph of her dog.
Her parents confronted him, asking if he had filmed her but he denied this insisting he had taken an image of the dog which he sent to his daughter.
He denied the allegation and spent some time remanded in custody, later contesting the charge but was found guilty.
The prison term imposed for this was overturned on appeal.
However while Campbell’s phone was being examined for this matter, a number of images were recovered leading to further charges.
These charges where before Dungannon Crown Court which heard the child abuse material included a video in the highest category of seriousness as well as another video and a still image.
There were also three extreme pornographic images and videos depicting sexual activity with animals.
Judge Brian Sherrard noted the number of images was low, “Even one is far too many.
Enquiries revealed the imagery had been sent to Campbell by WhatsApp and not sought out by him.
He said he considered them “funny and silly rather than criminal.”
The judge told him, “Your casual acceptance of these images is a cause for concern. As someone subject to a suspended sentence and a SOPO, you ought to have been extremely alert to this type of material. You deny any sexual motivation for the offences but in light of your earlier offending I view that with scepticism.”
He continued, “The assertion that you found this imagery funny or silly, when any right-thinking person would have find they abhorrent and shocking tells me that at the very least you have a distorted view of acceptable sexual boundaries. You have a sexual interest in children and a distorted view of sexual parameters.”
Judge Sherrard noted the previous sentence imposed and decided, “On balance, given the shortness of any custodial term that could be imposed, there would be little tangible benefit.”
He instead opted for a Probation Order, “Which will severely limit your liberty for three years, and will be demanding and extensive. To portray this as anything else would be misleading,”
This existing suspended prison sentence was therefore not activated but re-suspended for three years.
The Probation Order also forms the alternative sentence for the SOPO breach prison term which was successfully appealed.
Campbell was also made subject to sex offender registration and the SOPO for a further five years.