BEN SOUTHGATE FROM ST AUSTELL SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES IN TRURO

In May 2022, a disturbing case unfolded at Truro Crown Court involving Ben Southgate, a 25-year-old man from Bethel near St Austell, who was found guilty of possessing and sharing explicit images of young children. The court heard that Southgate had engaged in the distribution and storage of numerous indecent photographs depicting children as young as five years old, including toddlers, on the popular messaging platform Kik.

During the proceedings, it was revealed that Southgate had downloaded and circulated approximately 100 images of children being subjected to sexual abuse and even rape. These images were stored on his mobile device, which he used during the period between December 2018 and April 2019. The court was informed that Southgate was living with his partner at the time of the offences, and his actions were linked to a period of personal distress, having recently lost his job and experiencing depression.

Southgate’s initial exposure to child abuse images reportedly began on Kik, a chatroom app he discovered after turning to adult pornography several times weekly to cope with his emotional state. It was during this time that he encountered another user who introduced him to child pornography. Although he initially found the images difficult to look at, he gradually developed a sexual interest in them, which led to further viewing and downloading.

The court heard that Southgate was part of a Kik group chat where members openly discussed their sexual attraction to children and shared additional images of child abuse. Evidence showed that he not only viewed these images but also shared the material he had downloaded with other users within the group. His actions demonstrated a disturbing pattern of behavior, with the court noting that he actively sought out more images of toddlers, based on search terms found on his phone.

Southgate’s online activities were further scrutinized when his residence was raided on May 20, 2020. During the police search, he handed over his mobile phone and admitted to the offences on the spot. Since his arrest, Southgate has taken steps to address his problematic behavior by enrolling in online courses aimed at understanding and managing his attraction to children.

In sentencing, Judge Simon Carr acknowledged Southgate’s remorse and the efforts he had made to seek help. However, the judge emphasized that Southgate’s actions were not impulsive or accidental but part of a systematic pattern of abuse. The judge delivered a stark message, stating, “Let’s all be absolutely clear, we speak of hundreds of children who are being raped and abused systematically, day after day, for one reason — the sexual interest of people like you. It’s a business, the people committing the abuse aren’t interested in the sexual activity. And you feed into that business. You need to reflect on the fact that kids as young as five or seven were raped and abused for you to be entertained. A toddler was abused for you to be entertained.”

Judge Carr further highlighted the severity of the case, noting that Southgate’s repeated offending over many months demonstrated a deep-seated problem. While he acknowledged Southgate’s candor and acceptance of his issues, the judge made it clear that this was not a mistake but a manifestation of a persistent and dangerous attraction that would likely remain with him for life, though he could learn to control it.

As part of his sentence, Southgate was given a 24-month community order, which includes two suspended sentences of eight and four months respectively. He is also required to register as a sex offender, attend 20 days of rehabilitation programs, and adhere to a sexual harm prevention order for ten years, which will restrict and monitor his computer and internet usage. Additionally, he was ordered to pay £250 in court costs. The judge noted that had the images he distributed been more severe than those he merely downloaded, Southgate might have faced a much longer prison sentence.