BENEDICT LEO EVERETT FROM LAMORNA SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGE SHARING AND THEFT

In October 2011, a disturbing case emerged involving Benedict Leo Everett, a 36-year-old music teacher and band leader from Lamorna, who was found to have engaged in the distribution and possession of extremely disturbing images depicting child abuse. Everett, known locally as Leo, was discovered to have stored over 7,000 images and videos related to child exploitation on his personal computer and various memory sticks kept at his residence in Lamorna.

The investigation revealed that some of these illicit images were concealed within a memory stick hidden inside a lampshade, which was uncovered by residents living at the property following Everett’s arrest in October of the previous year. The authorities’ efforts to trace Everett’s online activities led them to a network of paedophiles, with police eventually linking him through information obtained from an individual arrested in northern England.

Upon executing a search warrant at Everett’s home, law enforcement officials discovered not only the extensive collection of child abuse material but also a carrier bag filled with women’s underwear, which had been stolen from local residents’ washing lines. This additional theft offense was part of the charges brought against him.

Everett, a well-known figure in the local music scene and the musical director of the band Hammered Steel, which was originally formed by his father, Chris Everett, was sentenced to nine months in prison by Judge Barry Cotter, QC, at Truro Crown Court. The court was informed that Everett’s online activities created a “fantasy world” where he shared sickening images, videos, and twisted ideas with other paedophiles, fueling a disturbing underground network.

The court heard that the images found on Everett’s devices included 320 classified as level 5, the most severe category on a five-point scale used to assess child abuse material. An additional 1,107 images and videos were categorized as level 4, indicating a high level of seriousness. Everett admitted to 19 charges of making and possessing child pornography, as well as one count of theft, during a hearing in August of this year.

Prosecutor Philip Lee explained that Everett had explained to police that he had been sharing these images with like-minded individuals through file-sharing websites. He revealed that Everett’s interest in such material had developed over several years, escalating from general pornography to increasingly shocking and disturbing content accessed via the internet.

While Everett’s involvement with the band and his work with young people across Cornwall was acknowledged, there was no evidence presented to suggest any connection between the images and pupils at the schools where he taught. The court was also told that Everett had shown “absolute frankness” in admitting his crimes immediately upon arrest. His defense argued that a custodial sentence would be counterproductive, emphasizing that Everett was actively receiving treatment and was motivated to rebuild his life free from the influence of these heinous images.

Judge Barry Cotter emphasized the severity of Everett’s actions, stating that although he had not directly abused children himself, the material he possessed was created to satisfy an international market for child exploitation. The judge highlighted the significant amount of offensive material found, noting that the time spent collecting such images indicated a disturbing level of premeditation and obsession with the subject.