BATH MAGISTRATE ANDREW HILL SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES IN SWINDON
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Bath Child Sexual Abuser
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Bath and the surrounding areas, Andrew Hill, a former magistrate and respected figure in Bath's amateur drama scene, was sentenced to ten months in prison for his involvement in the distribution and possession of indecent images of children. The criminal proceedings took place at Swindon Crown Court, where Hill faced serious charges related to his online activities.
According to court reports, Hill, aged 61, engaged in the exchange of hundreds of illicit images depicting young boys, some as young as two years old. These images were shared with other individuals he had met through online chat groups, where he also participated in conversations that were described as grotesque and obscene. Prosecutor Chris Smyth detailed how police investigations uncovered Hill's disturbing online behavior, revealing the extent of his actions.
Police received a report in June of the previous year indicating that three of Hill's email addresses had been used to exchange child exploitation material. Subsequently, a raid was carried out at Hill's residence on Entry Hill in Bath. During the search, officers seized a laptop and a tower computer from an upstairs study. Although only two indecent images of children were initially found on the devices, investigators employed specialized software to analyze Hill's online activity further. This deeper investigation uncovered a staggering 2,374 images, almost all of which depicted young boys, that Hill had sent to other users.
Prosecutor Smyth explained that the images were accompanied by chat messages describing abuse of young boys, with some conversations being both graphic and obscene. One particularly disturbing series of images showed a child aged between two and three years old being subjected to abuse. The chat logs also revealed Hill discussing sexual acts with a 12-year-old and requesting to exchange more images, highlighting the severity of his offending.
The court was informed that all of these illicit exchanges occurred over a relatively short period in 2007. Notably, Hill had ceased using the software for such exchanges after that time. When questioned by police, Hill admitted that the role-playing aspect of his online activity excited him but expressed shame upon reviewing what he had written. He pleaded guilty to eight counts of distributing indecent images of children.
Defense lawyer Brendan Moorhouse acknowledged that Hill's offending was limited to a brief period following his retirement from the Ministry of Defence. Moorhouse emphasized that Hill had taken steps to delete the images from his devices and argued that his client had been drawn into a fantasy world, which he claimed posed no future risk to children. Despite this, the judge, Douglas Field, imposed strict conditions, including a lifelong ban on Hill working with children and a requirement to register as a sex offender for ten years.
Judge Field condemned Hill's actions, stating, "You joined chat rooms and communicated with people with a similar interest to you and you thereby exchanged this disgusting chat which I accept was a part of your fantasy but it shows the evil of this sort of behaviour. Like-minded perverted people telling each other how much they enjoy the appalling images of these young people being abused."
It was also noted that Hill had served as a magistrate in Bath for 17 years and was a former chairman of the Bath Drama group. His case was heard at Wiltshire court due to his long-standing career as a Justice of the Peace in Bath, marking a significant and troubling chapter in his life and the community's ongoing efforts to combat child exploitation.
According to court reports, Hill, aged 61, engaged in the exchange of hundreds of illicit images depicting young boys, some as young as two years old. These images were shared with other individuals he had met through online chat groups, where he also participated in conversations that were described as grotesque and obscene. Prosecutor Chris Smyth detailed how police investigations uncovered Hill's disturbing online behavior, revealing the extent of his actions.
Police received a report in June of the previous year indicating that three of Hill's email addresses had been used to exchange child exploitation material. Subsequently, a raid was carried out at Hill's residence on Entry Hill in Bath. During the search, officers seized a laptop and a tower computer from an upstairs study. Although only two indecent images of children were initially found on the devices, investigators employed specialized software to analyze Hill's online activity further. This deeper investigation uncovered a staggering 2,374 images, almost all of which depicted young boys, that Hill had sent to other users.
Prosecutor Smyth explained that the images were accompanied by chat messages describing abuse of young boys, with some conversations being both graphic and obscene. One particularly disturbing series of images showed a child aged between two and three years old being subjected to abuse. The chat logs also revealed Hill discussing sexual acts with a 12-year-old and requesting to exchange more images, highlighting the severity of his offending.
The court was informed that all of these illicit exchanges occurred over a relatively short period in 2007. Notably, Hill had ceased using the software for such exchanges after that time. When questioned by police, Hill admitted that the role-playing aspect of his online activity excited him but expressed shame upon reviewing what he had written. He pleaded guilty to eight counts of distributing indecent images of children.
Defense lawyer Brendan Moorhouse acknowledged that Hill's offending was limited to a brief period following his retirement from the Ministry of Defence. Moorhouse emphasized that Hill had taken steps to delete the images from his devices and argued that his client had been drawn into a fantasy world, which he claimed posed no future risk to children. Despite this, the judge, Douglas Field, imposed strict conditions, including a lifelong ban on Hill working with children and a requirement to register as a sex offender for ten years.
Judge Field condemned Hill's actions, stating, "You joined chat rooms and communicated with people with a similar interest to you and you thereby exchanged this disgusting chat which I accept was a part of your fantasy but it shows the evil of this sort of behaviour. Like-minded perverted people telling each other how much they enjoy the appalling images of these young people being abused."
It was also noted that Hill had served as a magistrate in Bath for 17 years and was a former chairman of the Bath Drama group. His case was heard at Wiltshire court due to his long-standing career as a Justice of the Peace in Bath, marking a significant and troubling chapter in his life and the community's ongoing efforts to combat child exploitation.