York sex offender jailed for child exploitation and voyeurism

A sex offender known as Andrew John Stephenson, aged 38, from Farro Drive, Rawcliffe, York, has been sentenced to jail for multiple offenses related to child exploitation and voyeurism. He committed acts including altering innocent images to make them sexual or obscene, and possessing and creating indecent photographs. Prosecutor David Hewitt stated that Stephenson used computer software to modify a photo to make it appear as if two men were sexually touching a child. Police discovered numerous images on his phone, including some that featured a woman who was unaware of being photographed, with the last photo taken the day prior to his arrest. Some voyeurism images had been manipulated digitally with sexual intent. Stephenson pleaded guilty to two charges of making indecent photographs, two of creating pseudoimages of children, and one of voyeurism. He was sentenced by Judge Simon Hickey to two years in prison, placed on the sex offenders' register for ten years, and prohibited from working with children or vulnerable adults. Additionally, he received a ten-year sexual harm prevention order banning him from taking photos of children, possessing devices capable of covert photography, and using internet-enabled devices or software to conceal his identity. Police arrested him following a tip-off on April 13, 2021. During questioning, Stephenson initially denied the charges, claiming he had only received inappropriate images via WhatsApp, which he deleted. He also admitted to joining Tumblr to view pornography and later deleting some images containing young girls. Police findings included search terms for child sex images on adult pornography sites, and the possession of Adobe Photoshop used to alter photographs to make them more sexual. Stephenson expressed remorse for his actions, with his solicitor stating he sought therapy and had suffered health issues and personal trauma, including the death of his father. The judge emphasized the risk he poses to the public and imposed strict restrictions to prevent further offenses.