In 2019, the Offender Database recorded that Andrew Hunter, then 50, of Riverside Mews, Crew’s Hole, Bristol, was sentenced for the possession of a “staggering” stash of more than 240,000 illegal images of children and animals. On Friday, 31 May 2019, the defendant appeared at Bristol Crown Court for sentencing. It was reported that Hunter’s collection, built up between 2013 and 2018, included footage of a sex act involving a dog and was only discovered when he took his laptop to a repair shop.
The investigation established that Hunter asked an employee at a computer shop to transfer a hard drive to a new device. Avon and Somerset Police reported that the technician discovered 60 indecent images in the recycle bin, leading to a police raid on Hunter’s home in Crew’s Hole, Bristol. The prosecution reported that investigators found 767 Category A images and videos, 606 in Category B, and 43,557 in Category C, alongside 296 files of extreme pornography involving animals.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Hunter “didn’t accept what he was doing was morally wrong,” demonstrating a total lack of empathy for the children featured in the media. Bristol Crown Court heard how the defendant had been “compulsively” receiving sexual gratification from watching children being abused for over five years. The prosecution reported that a further 200,000 images were found but not fully categorised due to the sheer volume of the material recovered in Bristol, Somerset.
Judge Patrick noted that the defendant was “under no misapprehension” as to how close he came to an immediate prison term. For his actions in Crew’s Hole, Bristol, Hunter pleaded guilty to three counts of downloading indecent images and one count of downloading extreme pornography. The judge noted that a 12-month suspended sentence, combined with unpaid work and rehabilitation, was necessary to address Hunter’s “staggering” lack of insight into the harm caused by his consumption of abuse material.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in England, Andrew Hunter was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: 12 months in prison, suspended for two years (May 2019).
- Unpaid Work: 150 hours of community service.
- Rehabilitation: 20 days of rehabilitation activity.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were activated for 10 years.
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Bristol Crown Court following guilty pleas.
- Origin: Riverside Mews, Crew’s Hole, Bristol, Somerset.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Hunter is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Avon and Somerset Police and the National Probation Service in the Bristol area. Due to the “compulsive” nature of his offending and his possession of extreme pornography in Crew’s Hole, Bristol, his management is subject to oversight by the Public Protection Unit.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register, Hunter must comply with notification requirements regarding his identity and residence until 2029. Authorities state that his history of possessing a massive volume of child abuse imagery and his lack of moral understanding necessitates permanent and stringent monitoring of his conduct and digital access. Any further sexual misconduct or breach of his suspended sentence conditions in Crew’s Hole, Bristol, or elsewhere will result in immediate arrest and the activation of his 12-month prison term.
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