DANA FEENEY FROM SWINDON BLOCKED FROM UNPAID WORK DUE TO BAD BACK IN CHILD PORN CASE
In a disturbing case originating from Swindon, Dana Feeney, aged 46, found himself unable to fulfill his court-mandated community service due to a persistent back injury.Feeney, a resident of Castilian Mews, was involved in a serious criminal case involving the possession and creation of highly disturbing and illegal images.
Back in May 2019, Feeney was sentenced in Swindon Crown Court to a 12-month prison term, which was suspended for two years.
The court also ordered him to complete 250 hours of unpaid community service as part of his sentence.
The sentencing followed his guilty plea to multiple charges related to the possession and creation of child abuse images and extreme pornography.
Specifically, Feeney admitted to possessing 205 images that depicted acts threatening a person’s life, which are classified as extreme and prohibited under law.
Additionally, he was found to have 18 prohibited images of children.
Beyond possession, Feeney also confessed to creating 110 indecent images of children, including 21 that fell into the most serious category of child exploitation images.
Despite the severity of these charges, concerns were raised during the sentencing about Feeney’s physical health.
The probation service had expressed reservations that his back injury would make him unsuitable for the unpaid work requirement.
Nevertheless, the court initially ordered him to complete the 250 hours of community service.
Recently, an application was brought before Swindon Crown Court to revisit and potentially alter the original sentencing.
Mark Ashley, representing the Crown, highlighted that the probation service’s concerns about Feeney’s back injury had been noted at the time of sentencing.
It was argued that this injury could hinder his ability to perform the unpaid work.
In response, Judge Peter Crabtree OBE announced that the case would be transferred to Bournemouth Crown Court for further proceedings.
The case will be heard by Judge Pawson, who originally sentenced Feeney.
Judge Crabtree remarked that he was unaware of what was discussed during the initial sentencing but noted that the original judge had been persuaded to impose a significant amount of unpaid work.
The proceedings were adjourned, and a new court date will be set in due course to determine the next steps in this troubling case involving serious allegations of child exploitation and illegal imagery.
