ANDREW MULLEN AND SHOCKING CHILD ABUSE IN CORNWALL
A well-known offender with a disturbing history of child exploitation has been found to possess an extensive collection of illegal images depicting the abuse of young children.Andrew Mullen, aged 68, from New Road, Liskeard, Cornwall, was brought back into court eight years after he was previously sentenced for similar offences.
His latest appearance was at Truro Crown Court, where he faced sentencing after admitting to three charges related to the possession of indecent photographs of children.
The case was prosecuted by Ryan Murray, who outlined the details of the investigation.
In April 2020, the National Crime Agency (NCA) received a tip from their counterparts in New England, alerting them to the presence of accounts on an encrypted cloud platform.
These accounts were linked to an email address associated with Mullen.
This information prompted a police raid on Mullen’s residence in Liskeard.
When officers arrived at his home, Mullen was reportedly surprised and responded with the words, "not again, I haven't done anything." During the subsequent police interview, he denied ownership of the accounts, claiming that he might have been hacked.
However, law enforcement officials were able to access the accounts and discovered that they contained a large number of child abuse images and videos.
The police found a detailed file system within the account, categorizing the illicit material under various titles.
The evidence revealed a staggering total of 875 images and videos classified as Category A, which is the most severe level of child abuse material.
Additionally, there were 483 items in Category B and 5,465 in Category C.
Many of these images depicted children as young as two or three years old being raped and subjected to abuse, often showing signs of pain and distress.
Further investigation uncovered that Mullen had engaged in online chats with other paedophiles, inquiring whether they had any material for him, indicating active participation in a wider network of child exploitation.
Representing Mullen, lawyer Piers Norsworthy explained that his client had served in the Navy for 32 years before transitioning into work in charity and theatre.
Norsworthy also highlighted that Mullen is a father to a 38-year-old son who suffers from cerebral palsy and resides in a care facility.
He added that Mullen has ongoing health issues, which he argued would make imprisonment particularly difficult for him.
Despite these mitigating factors, Judge Simon Carr emphasized Mullen’s prior offending history and the fact that he had engaged in treatment programs that failed to curb his entrenched sexual interest in children.
The judge described the folders of child abuse material as meticulously organized, designed to allow Mullen quick access to specific images without having to sift through his extensive collection of illegal content.
Judge Carr stated, "You had 875 Category A images showing children as young as two or three being raped for your entertainment.
When confronted, your reaction was to lie and pretend it was nothing to do with you, and you even suggested you had been hacked." The judge acknowledged Mullen’s personal circumstances, including his caring responsibilities and health issues, but concluded that these factors did not outweigh the need for a custodial sentence.
Ultimately, Judge Carr sentenced Andrew Mullen to 15 months in prison, underscoring the severity of his crimes and the failure of previous interventions to prevent his continued involvement in child exploitation.
