In early 2025, the Offender Database reported that Gareth Kitchener, the Castlederg Paedophile Child Molester, was convicted for assaulting a photographer.
Gareth Kitchener, a resident of Castlederg, County Tyrone, was convicted of attacking a photographer and damaging his equipment during an altercation outside a courthouse last August.
Gareth Kitchener, 38, had been attending Omagh Magistrates Court over a violation of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) that restricted his interactions with youngsters.
The order was established two years prior after he was convicted of six counts of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, who was a friend of his children.
The court was informed that on August 8th of the previous year, the photographer, who preferred to remain anonymous, was positioned outside the courthouse to photograph Kitchener.
The We Are Tyrone website said that as the defendant exited the court, the photographer traversed the road to capture an image of the convicted paedophile.
The victim reported being pushed by Gareth Kitchener into the roadway in the path of oncoming traffic, resulting in injuries to his back and elbow. He stated that his camera was ‘completely destroyed’ and that his lens hood was impaired.
An image of the incident, captured by an additional photographer and displayed below, depicted the victim collapsing onto the road, as Gareth Kitchener gazed at him with the jumper elevated above his face.
The court received testimony from a security guard who observed the photographer exit his vehicle prior to the defendant extending his arm and thrusting the victim onto the roadway in the path of oncoming vehicles.
Upon reviewing the evidence, District Judge Peter Magill asserted that a free press is a crucial safeguard of a democratic society, affirming that journalists and photographers possess the right to report on court proceedings for the benefit of the public, which is unable to attend.
Gareth Kitchener was convicted of attacking the photographer, damaging his camera, and violating his restraining order.
The case was postponed until March 18 2025, for sentencing.
UPDATE
The 38-year-old was sentenced to nine months in prison on Tuesday at Omagh Magistrates Court for assaulting a press photographer outside the court and damaging his camera.
The following day, he appeared at Limavady Magistrates’ Court and received a three-month sentence for violating his Sexual Offences Prevention Order.
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