Why it matters: Christopher Nind, 46, of Graham Road, walked free from Ipswich Crown Court on Monday, 3 November, after being given a 24-month sentence suspended for 24 months, raising questions about the severity of punishment for large-scale child abuse image offences.
The details: Nind pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images at an earlier hearing. Police seized 30 electronic devices, hard drives and media cards from his home during a search on 6 December 2023, uncovering:
532 category A images (the most serious)
907 category B images
42,157 category C images
274 category A videos
450 category B videos
234 category C videos
Nind, who lives alone, was arrested at his home address in Felixstowe on suspicion of making, taking, possessing and distributing indecent material. All 30 devices seized were subjected to digital forensic examination.
The disturbing nature of the offending: PC Nicola Flack of the Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team described the case as "distressing and difficult" with images that Nind had created depicting himself amongst the child sexual abuse material.
"Some of the movies and images that he has taken were of himself watching child sexual abuse material whilst performing various sexual acts. This included adding horror masks and images of fingers he has added to known child sexual abuse images," she said.
The sentence: In addition to the suspended sentence, Nind received:
A 35-day rehabilitation order
A requirement to carry out 100 days of unpaid work
Placement on the sex offenders register for 10 years
A 10-year sexual harm prevention order
What is a sexual harm prevention order? A sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) is a court order requested by police or the court when there is specific concern about an individual. The order prevents a person from engaging in particular activities and includes positive obligations such as regular polygraph testing.
What they're saying: PC Nicola Flack said the images created by Nind were "grotesque" and depicted him "in amongst the child sexual abuse material."
The bottom line: Despite the horrific nature and sheer scale of the offending, Nind will serve no immediate custody, instead facing community-based sanctions and monitoring through the sexual harm prevention order system.
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