A Newcastle Paedophile, Gordon Hamilton, apprehended with nearly 2,000 child sexual abuse photographs, including a “repugnant” photograph of a newborn being subjected to sexual penetration, has been sentenced to over two years in prison.
Gordon Hamilton, 70, had previously received a suspended sentence for possessing such images and was subjected to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), as stated by Newcastle Crown Court.
During a standard inspection, investigators discovered that he had amassed additional photographs and was utilising a private web-browsing application that did not retain its search history, constituting a violation of his injunction.
Gordon Hamilton, from Newcastle, who first asserted that the photographs were “planted by the police,” conceded to violating the injunction and three charges of producing obscene images of children.
In July 2022, he was sentenced to one year of imprisonment, with a two-year suspension, and was placed on a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), according to prosecutor Jade Bucklow.
The injunction mandated him to disclose any internet-enabled devices in his possession and to retain his search history, as presented in court.
On 26 October 2023, law enforcement officials conducted a home visit for an assessment and discovered that Gordon Hamilton possessed a mobile phone with a private browsing application installed, Ms. Bucklow stated.
The court was informed that the phone, computer, and hard drive were confiscated for examination, revealing hundreds of indecent photos of youngsters.
The court reported 74 cases in the most severe category, which included an incident with a visibly upset infant, presumed to be under one month old, being abused. Additionally, there were 47 cases in the subsequent category and 1,786 in the least severe category.
Ms. Bucklow stated that the children’s ages varied from infancy to 12 years old.
In mitigation, the court heard Gordon Hamilton had served in the Army for 12 years, including in Northern Ireland during the 1970s, and claimed he committed the offences “out of boredom” after becoming isolated.
Recorder Thomas Moran said Gordon Hamilton had carried on downloading indecent images of children even after being given a chance with a suspended sentence order.
The judge said the image of the baby was “particularly vile” and Gordon Hamilton had told probation officers the pictures had been “planted by the police”.
“That was an absurd and desperate claim so you could hide from the true position which is that you are someone with a deep-seated sexual interest in children,” Recorder Moran told Gordon Hamilton.
The full year of the suspended sentence was activated and Gordon Hamilton was given a further 14 months for the new offences, making a total of two years and two months.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this website, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.