JUST three months after being given a community order for downloading child pornography, a Leamington man’s offender manager found more similar images on his phone.
But after hearing Russell Wilkin was about to start a sex offender treatment programme as part of that sentence, a judge at Warwick Crown Court decided to give him another chance.
The 34 year-old, of High Street, pleaded guilty to one charge of making indecent images of children.
He was sentenced to four months in prison suspended for two years and ordered to register as a sex offender for seven years – with the community order imposed in February to continue.
Prosecutor Stuart Clarkson said in May the police officer who was Wilkin’s offender manager visited his home and asked to see his phone.
When she checked it she found that Wilkin had been using a particular search engine to search for indecent images of pre-teen girls – in naked or indecent poses, but without actual sexual activity.
Wilkin was arrested, and when he was interviewed he admitted he liked looking at images of young girls on his phone.
Mr Clarkson added at the time Wilkin was subject to a three-year community sentence imposed at the court in February, after he had admitted four charges of making indecent images of children.
As part of that sentence he had been ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, to register as a sex offender for five years and to take part in a sex offender’s treatment programme.
Walter Bealby, defending, pointed out Wilkin was in fact due to begin that programme ‘next week.’
Sentencing Wilkin, Judge Stephen Eyre QC told him: “You are fortunate, because the assessment of the probation officer is that you are genuinely trying to address your offending.
“I am going to give you another chance, but this is the last chance you get for this type of offending.”
At the hearing in February the court was told that when staff at a Cash Generators shop began to prepare a tablet computer for resale, they were horrified to find child pornography on it.
So the police were contacted – and when a laptop computer sold by the same customer was checked, that also had indecent images of children on it.
As a result, Wilkin, then living at an address in Nuneaton, was arrested and, after first trying to blame his son or his lodger, pleaded guilty to four charges of making indecent images of children.
