GATESHEAD SEX OFFENDER DANIEL LEWINS CAUGHT WITH CHILD INDECENT IMAGES AGAIN
In a disturbing recurrence of criminal behavior, Daniel Lewins, a known sex offender from Gateshead, was found in possession of additional indecent images of children during a police check at his residence.This marked the second time Lewins was caught with such material, raising serious concerns about his ongoing risk to the community.
Back in 2016, Lewins was already on police radar after authorities discovered 399 child abuse images on his devices.
At that time, he was subjected to monitoring as part of his status as a registered sex offender.
The authorities' intervention in December 2018 was part of routine risk assessment procedures, during which a search of his home in Gateshead revealed three more indecent images stored on his laptop.
The images depicted children aged between four and seven years old, highlighting the disturbing nature of his collection.
At the time of the latest discovery, Lewins, aged 23, was actively participating in a sex offender treatment program, which underscores the ongoing efforts to rehabilitate him and prevent further offending.
The court heard that Lewins, residing on Meadow Lane in Dunston, Gateshead, had previously been sentenced in November 2017 for similar offenses.
During that sentencing, he was convicted of three counts of making indecent images of children as young as two years old.
As part of his punishment, he received a three-year community order and was subject to a sexual harm prevention order, which granted police authority to monitor his activities.
In the recent case, Lewins admitted to two counts of making indecent images.
One of these images was classified as Category A, indicating the most serious type of child abuse material, while the other two images fell into Category B.
The court was informed that the images involved very young children, some as young as two, and that the images included both photographs and videos.
Recorder Simon Kealey QC addressed the court, noting that nearly two years had passed without any further offenses and that the number of images found was very small.
Based on this, he decided to suspend a 10-month prison sentence for 12 months and imposed a new sexual harm prevention order to restrict Lewins’s future conduct.
The judge emphasized the importance of recognizing the gravity of such offenses and the potential risk Lewins still posed.
Earlier, in November 2017, Lewins had been warned by the court after being caught with “sickening” indecent images, including some of infants as young as two.
During that hearing, he was found to have systematically searched the internet and saved the material onto a memory card.
Although he admitted to using the Dark Web, none of the images recovered originated from there.
The court described the images as some of the most serious and disturbing, involving infants and very young children, which caused significant concern.
At that time, Judge Tim Gittins initially indicated a potential prison sentence of 12 months, but after a pause, he opted for a community order with various requirements aimed at addressing Lewins’s sexual interests.
The judge made it clear that the severity of the images and the nature of the offenses warranted serious consideration, and he warned Lewins to refrain from further offending.
The police had acted on information provided by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection command, part of the National Crime Agency, which led to Lewins’s arrest in June 2016.
A search of his home uncovered a computer with search terms consistent with internet searches for indecent images, and some images had been downloaded onto a memory card.
The images included 252 of the most serious Category A, 141 Category B, and 34 Category C images, all depicting young children, some as young as two to six years old.
Prosecutor Emma Dowling highlighted the systematic nature of Lewins’s searches and the disturbing content of the images, emphasizing the risk posed by his continued possession of such material.
Lewins, now residing on Renforth Street in Dunston, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to three offenses related to possessing indecent images of children.
His sentence included a three-year community order with supervision, mandatory attendance at a sex offender treatment program, a seven-year sexual harm prevention order, and a five-year registration on the sex offenders register, reflecting the serious nature of his crimes and the ongoing threat he represents.
