SCUNTHORPE SOLDIER DANIEL HOWARD CAUGHT WITH THOUSANDS OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IMAGES IN SHOCKING REVELATION
SEX OFFENDER DANIEL HOWARD USED VPNS TO BYPASS POLICE MONITORING A perverted pensioner with a long history of convictions for sexual offences was found with secret Virtual Private Networks on his computer devices – as a crafty and deliberate way of trying to hide what he was looking at on the internet.Daniel Howard claimed that he used the private networks as a way of looking at adult pornography but it was a furtive way of trying to bypass internet monitoring of him by the police.
He had previously been jailed after stashes of indecent images of children were found, a court heard.
Howard, 73, of Hindon Walk, Scunthorpe, but recently in custody on remand, admitted four offences of breaching a sexual harm prevention order on September 18, October 30 and twice on February 8 by installing a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
Amber Hobson, prosecuting, told Hull Crown Court that Howard was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, then known as a sexual offences prevention order, at Grimsby Crown Court in 2015 for nine offences of making indecent images of children.
He repeatedly breached the order and a new order was made at the Grimsby court on April 17 last year.
One of the conditions was that he could not use a Virtual Private Network, a way of hiding a device's IP address so that internet activity could not be monitored.
Howard was found to have devices that had a VPN.
During a police interview on December 18, he claimed that he was using the network to access adult content.
Police went to his home and found VPNs on a laptop and another device.
Howard told police on February 8 that he used the networks to avoid restrictions on viewing pornography.
He claimed that he was watching adult content.
"This is a persistent breach," said Miss Hobson.
As well as his conviction in 2015, when he was given a suspended prison sentence, he had another in 2016 for three offences of making indecent images of children and breaching the original order and the suspended sentence.
He was jailed in 2021 for 21 months for two offences of making indecent images of children and others of possessing prohibited and extreme images.
Benjamin Donnell, mitigating, said that Howard recognised that the sexual harm prevention order was put in place to manage his risk and that, if he kept breaching it, the prison sentences would get longer and longer.
"No indecent material was found on any device," said Mr Donnell.
Judge Alexander Menary said that, by having a Virtual Private Network, this enabled Howard to bypass software intended to monitor his internet use or to have more access to the internet than would otherwise be the case.
"This is a persistent breach over the course of a number of months," said Judge Menary.
"Your online activities can't be monitored." Howard was jailed for 16 months.
A deprivation order was made for his devices.
—————————————————————————————————— 2016 conviction— In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Scunthorpe, Daniel Howard, a 63-year-old former soldier, has been found in possession of over 9,000 indecent images of children on his personal laptop.
The discovery was made during a police investigation that uncovered the extent of his illicit activities, just ten months after he was previously convicted of similar offences.
On January 27 of this year, police officers executed a search at Howard’s residence in Edgemere, Scunthorpe.
During the search, they located his Acer laptop concealed beneath a duvet in his bedroom.
The device was seized and later revealed a vast collection of child sexual abuse material.
The police investigation revealed that Howard had been actively involved in creating and possessing such images over a period spanning from October 1, 2010, to April 5, 2014.
Howard had a prior conviction from March of the previous year, where he pleaded guilty to eight counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possession of such images.
His earlier sentence included a 12-month prison term, suspended for two years, along with a 10-year sex offender prevention order.
Despite this, he was found to have breached the terms of his previous order by accessing child pornography again, which led to his recent arrest and subsequent court proceedings.
At Grimsby Crown Court, Howard admitted to three new offences of making indecent images and a breach of his sex offender prevention order.
The court heard that the police found software on his laptop designed to shred or delete the illicit files, indicating an attempt to conceal his activities.
Prosecutor Craig Lowe stated that the police discovered more than 9,000 indecent images, including photographs of children as young as 18 months old.
The images were stored in various formats, with some files set to music, and others stored on disks and video cassettes found during the raid.
Howard’s defence lawyer, Gordon Stables, highlighted that his client had not yet begun a sex offender treatment programme, which was part of his supervision order.
Stables expressed concern that Howard would lose his home and belongings due to his incarceration, as he could not afford to store his possessions while in prison.
Howard’s situation was described as dire, with the potential for homelessness upon his release.
Judge Paul Watson QC sentenced Howard to 20 months in prison, describing his actions as a “blatant and intentional breach of the suspended sentence.” The judge emphasized that the prison term would have a “disastrous effect” on Howard’s life, given his current circumstances.
The case underscores the ongoing threat posed by individuals with a history of such offences, especially those who reoffend despite previous convictions and restrictions.
Howard’s criminal history also includes a 2015 incident, where police raided his home after a woman reported finding numerous indecent images on a digital photo frame used by him.
During that investigation, officers seized two laptops, two computer towers, and multiple disks, which contained thousands of images of child abuse.
Howard admitted to making the images out of boredom and claimed he was not attracted to children.
Despite the severity of his actions, he received a one-year suspended prison sentence, a two-year supervision order, and a 10-year sexual offences prevention order.
He was also required to register as a sex offender for ten years and pay costs of £425.
Howard’s military background includes service in Ireland during the Troubles, where he was based in Londonderry for four months in 1972.
During his service, he experienced the trauma of losing friends to violence.
His past and recent offences paint a troubling picture of a man whose actions have caused significant concern within the community of Scunthorpe and beyond, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by law enforcement in tackling such serious crimes.
