Some of the judges responsible for passing sentence at Sheffield Crown Court urged defendants convicted of such offences to try and understand that the children whose sexual abuse is documented in the vile pictures and videos they procured online are real children, and their interest in such content fuels the sickening, and illegal, trade.
During a December 14, 2022 hearing Judge Rachel Harrison said such offending contributes ‘to children being abused by supporting a market that produces such indecent images’.
Recorder Gurdial Singh told defendant, David Fowler, who downloaded more than 7,000 images and videos showing babies and children being sexually abused, during a hearing held at the court on April 1, 2022: “The appalling abuse suffered by these victims, and they are victims of your behaviour because you viewed these images, creating the market for this abuse. This is not a victimless crime.”
Most of the defendants included on this list have been made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order, in a bid to curb further offending; and they have also been placed on the sex offenders’ register.
The full court reports for the defendants included in this list can be found below:
- Craig Robinson: 15 months’ custody for man who merged prohibited images of children into a computer game
- Blain Allott: 22 months' jail time for Sheffield man who admitted being 'obsessed' with child abuse images
- Emilio Calderon: Jailed paedophile caught with indecent images of children hopes to open restaurant
- David Fowler: Sheffield man downloaded 'depraved' and 'wicked' child abuse content involving babies
- Steven Bellamy: Paedophile back behind bars after being caught with indecent images of children again
1. Craig Robinson: 15 months' custody for man who merged prohibited images of children into a computer game
Craig Robinson of Nidderdale Road, in Wingfield, Rotherham, had already been convicted in 2017 for possessing prohibited images and making indecent images of children, and he had been made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, a Sheffield Crown Court hearing heard. But prosecuting barrister Anthony Dunne told the hearing on November 10, 2022 that during a routine check Robinson, who was aged 34 at the time of the hearing, was found to have downloaded a modification which allowed characters in a computer game to be given genitalia and engage in sexual activity, and 205 prohibited images of children were found on a device. Mr Dunne said: “He accepted he had downloaded images from the internet and accepted he downloaded a modification so he could create child characters with genitalia and so they could engage in sexual activity. Robinson was given a conditional caution but after he failed a polygraph lie-detector test further digital devices were examined in January and 219 prohibited images of children were found on one device, according to Mr Dunne, and in August a further tablet device was found to have 80 prohibited images of youngsters and two indecent images of children. Defence barrister Chris Aspinall said Robinson accepts he fell back into accessing these kind of images but he has been honest about his offending and he has requested help to suppress his desires. Mr Aspinall said: “He has never thought about targeting anybody outside of the artificial structure with which he engages with on the internet.” Judge Peter Kelson KC told Robinson: “You appear to have some self-awareness to know of your problems and you keep saying you want help with that problem but from society’s point of view it has done all it can do to help you with your self-awareness problem.” He sentenced Robinson to 15 months of custody and ordered that the defendant be made subject to a new, ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order so his activities can continue to be monitored and restricted. Photo: South Yorkshire Police
2. Blain Allott: 22 months' jail time for Sheffield man who admitted being 'obsessed' with child abuse images
As he jailed defendant, Blain Allott, Judge David Dixon told him: “The simple situation is: if you share these indecent images of children you will go to immediate custody.” Photo: South Yorkshire Police
3. Emilio Calderon:Jailed paedophile caught with indecent images of children hopes to open restaurant
Sheffield Crown Court heard on December 14, 2022, how Emilio Calderon, then aged 30, was found by police to have been distributing indecent images, with children as young as a baby featured. Zaiban Alam, prosecuting, said: “At 7.45am, on March 23, 2021, police officers executed a search warrant at Gordon Street, Doncaster. He lives alone. He allowed officers inside and he was arrested. Various devices were seized.” Police found 357 category A, 275 category B, and 297 category C indecent mages of children across three electronic devices including a drive system and two mobile phones, according to Ms Alam, with the category A images regarded as the most serious. Ms Alam added that an analysis of the devices revealed Calderon, of Gordon Street, near Doncaster city centre, had used a variety of search terms indicative of searching for indecent images of children and there was evidence of a conversation with a contact with both expressing a desire to have sex with a pre-teenage youngster. Judge Rachael Harrison confirmed that the indecent images included a four-month-old baby and children aged up to the age of 15 and that Calderon had been looking at indecent images of children for a long time. Calderon, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing category A indecent images of children and one count of distributing category C indecent images of children, and to three counts of making indecent images relating to categories A, B and C. Defence barrister Richard Etherington said Calderon is ‘disgusted and ashamed’ by his actions and he regarded the nature of his conversations concerning children as ‘role play’ only. Mr Etherington said: “He works for Amazon as a team leader and he hopes to finish his business degree and he wants to open a restaurant.” Judge Harrison sentenced Calderon to two years and two months of custody, and told him: “Present on at least one of your devices was the Tor programme, which allows you to go looking without getting caught.” Photo: South Yorkshire Police
4. David Fowler: Sheffield man downloaded 'depraved' and 'wicked' child abuse content involving babies
Recorder Gurdial Singh made the comments during a hearing held at Sheffield Crown Court on April 1, during which the court heard how defendant David Fowler downloaded more than 7,000 images and videos showing babies and children being sexually abused. Photo: South Yorkshire Police