SHOREHAM MAN BENJAMIN CAPELIN SENTENCED FOR CHILD INDECENT IMAGE OFFENCES

On Friday, November 11, a man identified as Benjamin Capelin, aged 33, was formally sentenced in connection with serious offences involving indecent images of children. The sentencing took place at Southwark Crown Court, following Capelin's guilty plea to multiple charges related to the possession and creation of such illicit material.

Capelin, who was formerly residing in Downside, Shoreham, West Sussex, faced a total of 22 charges. These included five counts of possessing indecent images of children, 13 counts of making indecent images of children, three counts of possessing extreme pornographic images, and one count of perverting the course of justice. The court handed down a sentence of 14 months in prison, with two months allocated specifically for the perverting justice charge, and an additional 12 months to be served consecutively for the other offences.

In addition to his prison sentence, Capelin was subjected to a Sexual Offence Prevention Order (SOPO), which imposes restrictions aimed at preventing future offences. Furthermore, upon his release, he will be required to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years, reflecting the severity of his crimes.

The investigation leading to Capelin’s conviction was conducted by the Sussex Police Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT). The case was initiated after intelligence was received from European law enforcement agencies indicating that indecent images of children were being accessed and exchanged online. This international cooperation was instrumental in uncovering the extent of Capelin’s activities.

Authorities identified a computer located at a pet shop on Shoreham High Street, where Capelin was employed, as being used for the illegal activities. A search of both the shop and Capelin’s residence uncovered more than 6,000 indecent and extreme pornographic images of children stored on the office computer and a memory stick. Among these were over 170 images classified as Level 5, which are considered the most extreme and disturbing.

In a bid to evade detection, Capelin attempted to dispose of evidence by removing a laptop and a computer tower from his home and taking them to a local waste transfer site. However, law enforcement officers quickly identified his actions and, after extensive searches of local sites, recovered the tower at the Shoreham waste transfer facility. This act of attempting to conceal evidence contributed to additional charges of perverting the course of justice being brought against him.

Detective Inspector Alison Eaton emphasized the gravity of the offences, stating, “We must never forget that all these images represent terrible abuse of children, in this case including babies. Our POLIT officers will continue to follow up all such information in order to bring to justice offenders who help perpetuate child abuse worldwide in this way.”