DAVID ANGUS FROM ALNWICK AND SUNDERLAND SENTENCED FOR SEX OFFENSES AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

In a series of disturbing criminal cases, David Angus, a man with connections to both Alnwick and Sunderland, has been found guilty of multiple serious offenses involving child exploitation and abuse. His criminal activities span over several years, with incidents that have shocked the local communities and prompted strict legal actions.

In January 2014, Angus was caught in Sunderland with a photograph of a baby on his computer, despite being under a court order that prohibited him from taking pictures of children under the age of 16 or possessing camera equipment outside his residence. The order was initially imposed in 2007 after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a schoolgirl, which resulted in a 42-month prison sentence. Additionally, he was mandated to register as a sex offender for life and was subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).

The incident came to light during a police search of his home in Nicholson Close, Sunderland. Authorities discovered the image of the fully clothed baby on his computer, along with other photographs of children, some of which had been downloaded from Facebook and printed. The police report detailed that Angus had visited an acquaintance’s house during Christmas 2012, where he made comments about their baby and took two or three photographs using a borrowed camera. Although the baby was fully clothed, the act of taking these photographs was a breach of his court order. Angus subsequently deleted the images from his computer, but the police had already seized and examined the device.

During the court proceedings, Angus, aged 64, pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching his Sexual Offences Prevention Order in June. The magistrates decided to adjourn sentencing until a probation report could be prepared to assess his suitability for rehabilitation. Prosecutor Keith Laidlaw outlined the circumstances, stating that Angus had been invited into the acquaintance’s home during Christmas 2012, where he made inappropriate comments about the baby and took photographs. The court was informed that Angus had no contact with the family afterward and did not know their whereabouts.

His defense attorney, Tom Morgan, requested that the magistrates consider the probation report, which recommended a fine rather than imprisonment. Consequently, Angus was fined £300, with additional court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £30.

In a separate and more heinous case from November 2007, Angus, then residing in Alnwick, was sentenced to five years in prison after admitting to molesting two young girls, one of whom was only three years old. The court heard that Angus had engaged in sexual activities with both victims, with the older girl being 15 at the time. The court also learned that Angus had indoctrinated the teenage girl with his own twisted beliefs rooted in witchcraft, claiming she could gain magical powers through sexual acts. He had been scheduled to face trial on 12 charges but pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, along with five counts of possessing indecent photographs of the young girl.

During the proceedings at Newcastle Crown Court, it was revealed that Angus, who was then of no fixed address, had been practicing Wicca, a pagan religion, which he used to justify his actions. The court was told that he had stripped the girl before assaulting her, and that she kept her eyes closed during the abuse. The explicit details of the incidents are too graphic to be fully disclosed, but it was during the investigation that police found images of Angus abusing a three-year-old girl on his computer. In total, nine photographs depicting the abuse were recovered, further confirming the severity of his crimes.

Prosecutor Tim Parkin emphasized that Angus’s actions were driven by a disturbing and unhealthy obsession with children, and that his religious beliefs were used as a cover for his criminal behavior. The defense argued that Angus was not genuinely a Wiccan and that the teenage victim was interested in witchcraft, but the judge, His Honour Judge John Evans, was unequivocal in condemning Angus’s conduct. He stated that the responsibility for the crimes lay solely with Angus and expressed his revulsion at the nature of the offenses.

Judge Evans sentenced Angus to five years in prison, ordered him to be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life, and prohibited him from working with children. Additionally, Angus was barred from owning a computer for the next ten years and was subject to an order preventing him from being alone with anyone under 16 for the next decade. The court’s verdict underscored the gravity of Angus’s crimes and the community’s need for protection from such predatory behavior.