An elderly resident of West Cumbria, Ian Willis Cockermouth paedophile, has confessed to collecting illicit extreme pornography and forbidden ‘cartoon’ depictions of minors engaged in sexual abuse.
Ian Willis, a 74-year-old resident of Cockermouth, confessed to two charges in a court session held at Carlisle Crown Court. However, he pleaded not guilty to a third accusation of downloading an obscene image of a child. The prosecution acknowledged the denial.
Prosecutor Sarah Griffin delineated the two acknowledged offences, specifying that they were perpetrated from July 1, 2020, to December 20 of the same year. Law enforcement discovered the illicit photographs after confiscating and examining the accused individual’s Samsung smartphone.
Ms. Griffin stated that there were a total of 407 highly explicit pornographic photos and seven photographs of children that are considered forbidden, classified explicitly as cartoon-type images.
The attorney proceeded to delineate the specific nature of the photos discovered by the police. The court was informed that the explicit images portrayed adults engaging in sexual acts with animals, two of which were in motion.
The banned kid images were animated illustrations portraying sexual interactions between adults and children involving individuals as young as eight years old. As the defence attorney, Marion Weir submitted two character references to the court.
Ms Griffin stated that the defendant acknowledged that the phone, which contained the illicit photographs, belonged to him. However, he denied actively seeking indecent images of children. “He asserted that their presence must have been unintentional,” stated the barrister.
Ian Willis acknowledged engaging in the act of searching for explicit pornographic photos but contended that he was unaware of the illegality of such actions.
“According to the barrister, he claimed to be motivated by curiosity and expressed that his life lacked excitement,” the barrister stated.
Judge Richard Archer informed Ian Willis that he is 74 years old, has no prior criminal record, and that the offences occurred some time ago. They depict the behaviour and criminal acts during and during the 2020 pandemic when many people experienced significant life changes.
“That does not justify your behaviour, as many individuals were able to exercise patience and act responsibly without engaging in criminal activities.”
However, the judge determined that the defendant’s level of culpability was minimal; hence, a prison sentence was deemed unnecessary. The judge considered it unnecessary to include the pensioner in the Sex Offender Register or issue a sexual harm prevention order.
Ian Willis, residing at St Leonard’s Close in Cockermouth, was sentenced to an 18-month community order that entails 20 rehabilitation activity days.
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