DAD CAUGHT WITH EXTREME ANIMAL PORN AND INJURY VIDEOS WALKS FREE
A man from Wirral was acquitted in court despite being found in possession of extremely graphic animal abuse material and videos depicting harm to a man's genitals.Christopher Shotton was detained by police on August 27, 2018, over matters unrelated to the offenses later uncovered, and he was found not guilty of those unrelated charges.
However, the 35-year-old resident of Poulton Road, Poulton, Wallasey, was required to surrender his mobile phone, which contained a disturbing assortment of files.
Liverpool Crown Court was told that the device held 12 illicit files, including content involving bestiality and videos illustrating scenes capable of causing genital injuries.
Prosecutor Keith Sutton stated: "The defendant was arrested and interviewed concerning unrelated issues, for which he was later acquitted." During police interviews, Shotton acknowledged that the phone confiscated was his.
Mr.
Sutton added: "He stated that these images and videos were sent to him via WhatsApp." He further explained that Shotton admitted to being part of a small group of five or six friends who shared such images, and that he had also sent some himself.
Defense lawyer Mr.
Polglase commented: "A sentence of imprisonment exceeding two years would be necessary for notification requirements to apply." Ultimately, Judge Anil Murray sentenced Shotton to a 12-month community order along with a 20-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, describing him as being at "a low risk of re-offending." Additionally, the judge ordered the destruction of the phone by 4 pm on April 14, noting that some of the photos on it included images of Shotton’s son, which he wished to preserve in some capacity.
