AFTER the police were contacted by a concerned member of the public over a man taking pictures in a Leamington park they checked his camera and found nothing illegal.
But the circumstances were sufficient for officers to then search Dennis Ogden’s home and seize computer equipment and a phone on which they found child pornography.
Ogden failed to turn up for a hearing at Warwick Crown Court last month, after which he attempted to commit suicide.
But following his arrest on a warrant he pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing indecent images of children and one of making an indecent pseudo-image of a child.
The 61 year-old, of Gresham Avenue, Leamington, was jailed for nine months by Judge Andrew Lockhart QC and ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years.
Judge Lockhart also made him subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order under which, as well as putting restriction on his use of the internet, Ogden is banned from taking pictures of any child without the permission of a parent or guardian.
Prosecutor Martin Liddiard said in March last year a member of the public contacted the police about Ogden’s conduct in Jephson Gardens.
He appeared to be taking photographs of children, but when officers spoke to him and checked his high-spec digital camera there were no pictures of an indecent nature.
Ogden was allowed to go on his way but, although not illegal, the pictures he had taken and the circumstances were sufficient for the officers to apply for a search warrant.
They executed the warrant at his home two days later and seized a phone, which they found hidden in a cupboard under the stairs, a computer and an external hard drive.
On them they found two indecent movies of children and two stills.
Mr Liddiard added in 1997 Ogden had been jailed for five years for soliciting people to kill his ex-partner while he was in custody for assaulting her, and in 2003 he was jailed for wounding another partner.
Paul O’Keefe, defending, said the main concern for Ogden, who accepted having the images but had not gone specifically looking for them, was that if he was away for more than 13 weeks he would lose his council accommodation.
Jailing Ogden, Judge Lockhart told him: “You were seen taking photographs of people in a park close to this court, after which the police went to your home and items were seized.
“You are assessed as posing a high risk to children, and you are showing little acknowledgement of that.”
Speaking afterwards, Det Sgt Cawail Wong, said the public had a part to play in bringing such people to justice.
He said: “The children in these images are real and the impact on their lives, by those we bring before the court for these offences has real consequences.
“I would like to thank the member of public for coming forward to the police with their concerns.
“If anyone has information relating to child sexual exploitation or suspicions that someone is using the internet to access indecent images I would urge them to contact police on 101.”
