ANTHONY EASOM'S SHOCKING SCARBOROUGH BEACH CRIMES: PENSIONER SPARED JAIL DESPITE BREACHING COURT ORDERS
In January 2019, a disturbing case emerged involving Anthony Easom, a 75-year-old resident of Scarborough, who was found to have engaged in highly inappropriate and illegal activities on Scarborough’s South Bay Beach.Despite the serious nature of his actions, Easom was ultimately spared from immediate imprisonment, though he faced significant legal consequences.
According to court proceedings, Easom had been secretly filming young girls in their swimwear on Scarborough’s popular South Bay Beach.
The footage he captured included children as young as seven years old.
These recordings were stored on his personal computer, raising alarm among authorities and prompting a detailed investigation.
The case revealed that Easom had a troubling history, including a prior conviction in March 2015 for making indecent images and stalking a nine-year-old girl.
Following that conviction, he was sentenced to a two-year community order and was subject to a sexual-harm prevention order designed to restrict his access to computers and online content.
The court heard that the order explicitly prohibited Easom from installing encryption or data-wiping software on his devices.
However, within just a few months of the order being issued, he violated these restrictions on no fewer than eight separate occasions.
Police officers executed a search warrant at his home in the South Bay area, where they seized his computer tower.
The investigation uncovered that Easom had not only installed encryption software but had also created password-protected “private vaults” on his computer, which he further concealed by saving the encrypted files onto a memory stick.
Prosecutor Martin Robertshaw explained that these actions indicated an attempt to hide his online activities.
Interestingly, further examination revealed that Easom was not in possession of indecent images at the time of the search.
Instead, he was viewing legal adult pornography, which he kept secret from his family.
To maintain privacy, he used encryption software, but this only heightened police suspicions when they discovered the encrypted files.
This suspicion led to the comprehensive search of his home in July 2017, during which Easom was arrested and charged with eight counts of breaching the sexual-harm prevention order.
Initially denying the charges, Easom later admitted to all allegations during his court appearance.
The timeline of his illegal online activity spanned approximately 20 months, from May 2015 to February 2017.
The court also revisited his earlier offences dating back to 2014, which involved taking photographs of young females in swimwear on Scarborough Beach.
These images and videos depicted children who were unaware they were being recorded, further illustrating the disturbing pattern of his behaviour.
Throughout the proceedings, Mr.
Robertshaw emphasized that Easom had acknowledged his problematic attraction to young females and his viewing of related images.
The court also noted Easom’s prior criminal record, which included convictions for shoplifting and harassment dating back to 1988.
Judge Paul Worsley QC addressed Easom directly, stating, “Sadly, you have a deep-seated interest in young girls and that interest has strayed into pornography.
The court will protect young people from those like you who have an unhealthy interest in them.” Despite the gravity of the offences, the judge recognized Easom’s guilty pleas, his age, health issues, and the fact that no indecent images were stored on his computer after the sexual-harm prevention order was in place.
As a result, he was sentenced to a six-month prison term, which was suspended for two years, and was ordered to pay costs of £340.
The existing restrictions on his computer use remain in effect, ensuring ongoing oversight of his online activities.
