BRUCE CHANDLER AND SHOCKING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASE IN CUMBRIA
A convicted sex offender has been sentenced to prison after falsely claiming to possess no illegal devices in order to access indecent images of children.Bruce Chandler, aged 57, a resident of St Martin's Close in Brampton, Cumbria, has a troubling history involving online sexual misconduct and violations of court orders.
Chandler’s criminal activities date back to at least 2021, when he was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court to a two-year prison term that was suspended.
At that time, he was also ordered to restrict his online activity following allegations that he made sexual advances online towards individuals he believed to be young girls.
During that period, Chandler sought topless photographs from these individuals and even attempted to arrange a meeting with one female.
Despite these previous convictions and court orders, Chandler’s unlawful behavior persisted.
Earlier this year, authorities conducted a visit to his residence as part of ongoing monitoring.
During this initial visit, Chandler claimed he did not possess any prohibited devices capable of connecting to the internet.
However, during a subsequent unannounced home risk assessment, police observed Chandler attempting to conceal a smartphone.
When confronted, he admitted, “I’ve had it for over a year.
I know I shouldn’t have it.
I thought I could get away with it.
I lied about it the last time you were here.” Further investigations revealed that Chandler had been using this phone since December 2022, which was approximately 14 months into his suspended sentence.
It was discovered that he had accessed nine indecent images of children through this device.
In addition to this, authorities found that Chandler had viewed an extreme pornographic image involving a dog and had logged into Instagram using an alias that he had not previously disclosed.
The police also uncovered that Chandler had deleted nearly 4,500 web browser searches, indicating an attempt to hide his online activities.
The court heard that Chandler had committed multiple violations, including seven offences in total.
These included four breaches of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), possession of nine category C indecent images of children, possession of an extreme pornographic image, and failure to comply with sex offender notification requirements.
During the hearing, defense lawyer Andrew Gurney expressed remorse on behalf of Chandler, stating, “He wishes to apologise to the court for what he has done.” However, Judge Michael Fanning was critical of Chandler’s conduct, describing his actions as “deceitful” and “dishonest.” In light of these violations, the judge imposed a new indefinite SHPO, ensuring that Chandler remains under strict supervision and restrictions for the foreseeable future.
