ADAM WHITFIELD SENTENCED IN NEWTON-LE-W-WILLOWS FOR DEPRAVED IMAGE OFFENSES
A convicted offender, Adam Whitfield, from Newton-Le-Willows, was found to possess a collection of disturbing and depraved child abuse videos.The videos, which depicted crying infants in what was described as 'depraved' and 'disgusting' scenes by a judge, included a 16-second clip of a three-month-old baby being raped.
Some of the images were so graphic they could not be described in detail.
Whitfield, 26 years old, had stored 30 videos of children being raped on his phone and computer.
These were discovered after his mother contacted the police.
Prosecutor Sarah Griffin explained that police initially attended Whitfield's address regarding a separate issue that was not pursued, and during the visit, his mother handed over multiple devices, including a mobile phone and a computer.
Upon examination, officers uncovered a total of 32 indecent images, with 30 of those being videos of children being raped.
The videos spanned from July 25, 2017, to May 3, 2020, and included children aged as young as three months, six months, and between five and seven years old.
Whitfield has no previous criminal convictions.
Defense lawyer Louise McCloskey stated, 'It is quite clear, your honour, to any right-minded member of the community, hearing the description of those moving images will inevitably cause both a sense of outrage and revulsion.' She acknowledged that community members would expect a severe custodial sentence, but emphasized Whitfield is 'vulnerable,' 'ashamed of his actions,' and 'struggled' in his earlier life, though no specifics were provided.
Ms.
McCloskey urged the court to consider suspending the prison sentence, arguing this would better address the underlying issues and help prevent future offending.
She explained the activity varied over the years, with a notable increase in 2019, but was not constant.
Whitfield, of Alder Street, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images.
Judge Thomas Teague, QC, described the images as 'exceptionally depraved' even at the lowest category, noting they would shock any normal person.
The judge highlighted troubling elements in Whitfield's pre-sentence report, which described him as vulnerable with an 'unhappy childhood.' The offenses were further aggravated by the presence of children displaying pain and distress in the videos.
As a result, Whitfield was sentenced to eight months in prison, ordered to adhere to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years, and required to register as a sex offender for ten years.
