ANTONY STEFANIUK CAUGHT WITH 27,000 CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IMAGES IN CIRENCESTER

In June 2016, a disturbing case emerged involving Antony Stefaniuk, a 52-year-old engineer from Cirencester, who was found in possession of an alarming collection of over 27,000 child sexual abuse images and videos. The authorities uncovered this disturbing cache during a police raid at his residence, located at Chestnut Lodge, Perrotts Brook, in Cirencester.

According to court reports, police executed a warrant at Stefaniuk's home on October 6th of the previous year after receiving intelligence that he was actively using a peer-to-peer file sharing system. This system had been flagged for containing numerous suspect files, leading to the investigation. During the search, law enforcement officials discovered a significant number of illegal materials stored on his computer and DVD collection. The files included 1,119 Category A images, which are classified as the most severe, along with 7 videos of the same category. Additionally, there were 954 Category B images and 8 videos, which are considered less severe but still illegal. The majority of the collection, totaling 25,039 images, fell into Category C, indicating the least serious classification. Furthermore, 23 videos were also identified within this category.

Prosecutor Robert Morgan-Jones detailed the extent of the illegal content, stating that Stefaniuk was in possession of a total of 27,150 illicit images and videos. The severity of the material prompted serious concern from the court, given the potential harm such images can cause.

During the court proceedings at Gloucester Crown Court, Stefaniuk admitted to nine charges related to possessing and creating indecent images of children. His defense, represented by Sabhia Pathan, highlighted that a probation pre-sentence report had identified specific issues in his background that might explain his offending behavior. She also presented references and an eloquent letter written by Stefaniuk himself, in which he expressed remorse.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC addressed Stefaniuk directly, emphasizing the gravity of his actions. He stated, “By downloading these simply appalling images, you are encouraging those who produce and take them to continue. Your role may be unintentional, but without individuals like you, these images would not exist.” The judge further remarked that if he were to describe some of the images, it would cause some people to be physically sick, underscoring the disturbing nature of the material involved.

In his defense, Ms. Pathan argued that Stefaniuk was “crying out for help” and that intervention through probation was necessary to address his issues. She pointed out that he is a well-educated man, holding a degree in electronic engineering, which adds complexity to his case.

Ultimately, Judge Tabor sentenced Stefaniuk to two years in prison, suspended for two years. He was also fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £500 in costs. Additionally, Stefaniuk was placed on the sex offender register for ten years and mandated to undergo two years of supervision. The judge made it clear that due to the nature of his work, which involves international travel, Stefaniuk would need to relinquish his current job and remain locally available to comply with the supervision requirements.