ANTHONY CROSBIE AND SHOCKING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN NEWCASTLE
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community in Newcastle, Anthony Crosbie was found to possess a significant collection of indecent images of children, leading to serious legal consequences.The incident came to light after Crosbie, a resident of Eastfield House, Walker, Newcastle, inadvertently lost his mobile phone on a bus in 2020.
A member of the public who discovered the device decided to open it in an attempt to identify its owner.
To their horror, they encountered a graphic indecent image of a child, which prompted an immediate report to the police.
Following this report, law enforcement officials swiftly traced the mobile phone back to Crosbie.
When police arrested him later that year, they also seized another mobile device from his possession.
Investigations revealed that both phones contained a disturbing number of indecent images of children.
During the court proceedings at Newcastle Crown Court, it was disclosed that the images on Crosbie’s devices included children as young as one year old.
Crosbie, aged 34, appeared in court on a Tuesday to face charges related to the possession of indecent images of children.
He pleaded guilty to four counts of making such images.
Prosecutor Michael Bunch explained that the offences were uncovered in January 2020, after the mobile phone was lost and subsequently found by a member of the public.
The police investigation uncovered that the phone contained 169 images classified as Category A, which are considered the most severe, along with 74 Category B images and 214 Category C images.
The majority of the children depicted in these images appeared to be between two and four years old.
Further investigation revealed that another mobile phone seized from Crosbie contained over 900 indecent images of children, ranging from one-year-olds upwards.
Additionally, a third device was later recovered, which held more than 1,900 such images, highlighting the extent of his offending.
During the hearing, Crosbie’s defense attorney, Andrew Walker, expressed remorse, stating that his client was "ashamed of his behaviour" and was genuinely remorseful.
Walker explained that Crosbie was experiencing a difficult period in his life, characterized by heavy drinking and personal turmoil, which he described as a time when Crosbie was "at a low ebb" and his life was "disintegrating." Judge Stephen Earl, presiding over the case, described the images as "appalling" and sentenced Crosbie to two years in prison, though the sentence was suspended for two years.
As part of his sentence, Crosbie is required to complete 20 days of rehabilitation, participate in a six-month alcohol treatment program, and will be subject to a 10-year registration on the sex offender’s register.
Additionally, a 10-year sexual harm prevention order was imposed to restrict his future conduct and protect the community from further harm.
