ADAM PARK CAUGHT WITH OVER 1,000 CHILD PORN IMAGES IN HARRISEAHEAD

In May 2016, Adam Park, a 34-year-old resident of Harriseahead, was found to have downloaded and stored an alarming number of indecent images of children on his personal computer. The police executed a search warrant at his family home in Harriseahead, leading to the seizure of multiple electronic devices from his bedroom. During the investigation, authorities uncovered a disturbing collection of images and videos that painted a grim picture of his activities.

Prosecutor Paul Farrow detailed that three separate devices were recovered from Park’s room, which contained a total of 381 images classified as Category A, indicating the most severe level of indecency. Additionally, there was one video file among these. The devices also held 237 images categorized as Category B, along with four videos, and a further 528 images classified as Category C. The analysis of the data revealed that some images were stored in folders with specific names, suggesting a deliberate organization of the illicit material. Disturbingly, some of the images depicted children as young as four or five years old.

Following the raid, police visited Park’s workplace in Rode Heath to arrest him. During police interviews, Park chose to remain silent, answering no comment to questions but acknowledging that the computer had been kept in his bedroom. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of a child and five counts of possessing such images.

In his defense, Kevin Mortlock, representing Park, stated that his client had used specific search terms that would only lead to indecent images being displayed on his computer. Mortlock emphasized that Park was aware of the harm caused by his actions and did not deny the existence of victims. He added that Park, who resides on Holly Lane in Harriseahead, had led a relatively industrious life, being employed since leaving school.

Judge David Fletcher sentenced Park to a three-year community order. As part of this order, Park is required to complete a 50-day rehabilitation activity program and participate in a community sex offenders’ program. The judge expressed strong condemnation of Park’s actions, stating, “You are downloading, sifting through, cataloguing and looking at human misery on a massive scale. You are looking at real people, real children – some of them very young – who have absolutely no say in what is happening to them. The pictures are frankly vile. They are undoubtedly distressing, painful and hugely degrading for those children.”

Judge Fletcher warned Park that failure to cooperate with the court’s orders could result in imprisonment. He further commented that Park’s life outside of work appeared devoid of meaningful or stimulating activities and urged him to seek constructive pursuits instead of indulging in such harmful material. Additionally, Park was handed a five-year sexual harm prevention order, restricting his use of computers and mobile devices to only those that do not store browsing history. He is also required to surrender any computer equipment to police upon request. Park will remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years, reflecting the seriousness of his offenses and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.