DANIEL GUNSON FROM WARRINGTON SENTENCED FOR HORRIFIC CHILD ABUSE IMAGE COLLECTION IN CHESTER

In June 2017, Daniel Gunson, a 45-year-old resident of Warrington, was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison after being found guilty of possessing an extensive and disturbing collection of child abuse images. The court proceedings took place at Chester Crown Court, where Gunson appeared in court wearing a grey suit, a purple shirt, and thick black-rimmed glasses, standing silently and expressionless throughout the hearing.

Gunson’s arrest stemmed from a police operation in December 2015, during which authorities executed a search warrant at his former residence in Runcorn, a town near Warrington. The search revealed a cluttered and unkempt home filled with various electronic devices, including a laptop placed on his bed, a hard drive found nearby, and a Samsung phone. These devices contained a vast trove of digital files, which investigators meticulously examined.

Officers uncovered a staggering total of over 12,500 images and videos depicting child abuse, with the files categorized into different levels of severity. Among these, 2,951 images were classified as Category A, indicating the most severe and explicit content, while 3,244 fell into Category B, and 6,392 into Category C. The images ranged from photographs of infants in distress and pain to videos showing prolonged sexual abuse involving children from babies to teenagers. Some of the footage included distressing clips of infants suffering in ordeals lasting nearly two hours, highlighting the horrific nature of the material.

Prosecutor Sarah Badrawy detailed the findings, emphasizing that the images and videos spanned a broad spectrum of seriousness, with some depicting the most extreme forms of abuse. The police also discovered a total of 138,524 files, many of which had not been fully examined, indicating the extent of the material stored on Gunson’s devices. His internet search history was also found to be filled with terms and themes related to child sexual abuse, further illustrating his deviant interests.

Gunson’s criminal history included an incident in 1996 when a former partner discovered him viewing indecent images, leading to the breakup of their relationship. During the court proceedings, Gunson claimed ignorance about how the images ended up on his computer, asserting that he had obtained his computer from someone else and that it was their responsibility. However, the court found this explanation unconvincing.

Throughout the hearing, Gunson remained silent, standing motionless as the judge, Patrick Thompson, detailed the severity of his crimes. The judge described the disturbing nature of the images, including explicit footage of children in pain and distress, and emphasized the public’s right to be informed about the type of material offenders like Gunson view.

Judge Thompson sentenced Gunson to 15 months in prison and imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. Additionally, Gunson was ordered to register as a sex offender for the same period. The judge expressed his outrage at Gunson’s claims of innocence, stating, “You entered a defence statement claiming you knew nothing of this material that it somehow appeared on your computer. You said you had obtained your computer from someone else and it was their responsibility. That wasn’t the case at all. You were the person who had downloaded it and you were the person with a deviant interest in material of this kind, material of children being raped, from babies to teenage children. You seem to have an interest in all of that.”

He further condemned Gunson’s actions, asserting, “If it wasn’t for people like you with this deviant interest, these children would not be getting raped, so I’m afraid you bear responsibility.” The court’s decision underscores the seriousness of the crimes committed and the need for stringent measures to prevent reoffending, including the 10-year order and registration requirement.