CRAIG BAINBRIDGE FROM DARLINGTON AND MIDDLESBROUGH ESCAPES JAIL DESPITE HORRIFIC CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASE
In a case that has shocked the local communities of Darlington and Middlesbrough, Craig Bainbridge, a 37-year-old man, was recently spared immediate imprisonment despite being found in possession of extremely disturbing indecent images of young children.The incident, which took place in June 2017, involved the discovery of a collection of highly illegal and distressing videos stored on Bainbridge's personal device.
Police officers executed a search of Bainbridge’s residence, which is located in a flat on Pierremont Crescent in Darlington.
During the investigation, they uncovered a significant number of illicit images and videos on his Dell laptop.
Among these were some of the most serious categories of child exploitation material, including a disturbing 90-second clip depicting a child as young as two years old.
Prosecutors described the child in the footage as “effectively a baby,” highlighting the severity of the content.
Further examination revealed that Bainbridge’s collection also included videos of a young girl aged as young as six.
The fact that Bainbridge, who is a father himself, possessed such material raised serious concerns about his character and intentions.
Prosecutor Harry Hadfield emphasized that Bainbridge had deliberately sought out this material, which he had obtained through a device purchased on Gumtree, an online marketplace.
Evidence indicated that Bainbridge used Google Chrome to search for images and videos indicative of child abuse, suggesting a premeditated effort to access such content.
During the court proceedings at Teesside Crown Court, Bainbridge attempted to justify his actions by claiming that he only downloaded the images following a particularly bad day.
He explained that he had been released on police bail after being detained over a burglary in May of the same year, and that this stressful event led to his relapse.
His solicitor, Robert Mochrie, argued that Bainbridge had taken drugs during a difficult period and that viewing the images was a result of this temporary lapse.
According to his lawyer, Bainbridge had subsequently felt remorseful and had voluntarily gone to the police to report his actions the morning after.
However, police investigations revealed that the illegal footage had been stored on Bainbridge’s computer over several months, contradicting his account of a single incident.
The court was also informed that Bainbridge has a history of criminal behavior related to illicit images.
He had previously been convicted in 2012 for possessing indecent images and had also breached court orders by using software to access the dark web, where such material is often found.
At the sentencing hearing, Bainbridge admitted to three counts of making indecent images, including seven classified as Category A, the most serious category of child abuse material.
Despite the gravity of his offenses, the judge decided to suspend his 16-month prison sentence for two years.
This decision was influenced by a local scheme based in Middlesbrough that advocated for community-based rehabilitation rather than incarceration, believing that Bainbridge could be managed within the community under strict conditions.
