ANDREW SYMES FROME AND WEYMOUTH SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES

In a case that has shocked the communities of Frome and Weymouth, Andrew Symes, a man with ties to both locations, has been found guilty of serious child sex offences. The proceedings took place at Taunton Crown Court, where Symes appeared in March 2011 to face multiple charges related to the possession, distribution, and creation of indecent images of children.

Symes, who was originally from Frome but had since moved to Weymouth, admitted to a total of 30 criminal counts involving child pornography. These included 24 counts of making indecent images of a child, three counts of distributing such images, and three counts of possessing extreme images of children. The images in question were classified across categories one through five, with category one being the least severe and category five representing the most extreme forms of child exploitation.

Following his guilty plea, the court sentenced Symes to a three-year community order. This order requires him to be under supervision for the duration of the sentence, attend a Registered Sex Offender Programme, and remain registered on the Sex Offenders Register for five years. Additionally, Symes will be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which will remain in effect indefinitely, restricting his ability to work with children and imposing strict conditions to prevent further offending.

The court emphasized that any failure to comply with the terms of his sentence could result in imprisonment. The case highlights the ongoing efforts of law enforcement and judicial authorities to combat child exploitation and protect vulnerable minors from harm, with Symes now facing the consequences of his actions in the criminal justice system.