DAVID BROWN/DALE LUTKIN SENTENCED IN HORNSEA FOR CHILD PICTURES AND SPY CAMERA OFFENSES

In March 2019, David Brown, formerly known as Dale Lutkin, was involved in a disturbing case in Hornsea involving voyeurism and child exploitation. Brown, aged 55, was found to have hidden a spy camera with the intent of secretly filming a schoolgirl as she undressed, aiming to 'get what he wanted,' as he admitted during police interviews.

Police only discovered footage of the girl after raiding Brown’s home last year, prompted by intelligence that he was downloading indecent images of children. Upon seizure of a laptop and hard drive, officers uncovered more than 3,000 indecent images on his devices, Hull Crown Court heard. Prosecutor Richard Thompson described the content, stating it included a picture of a woman about to sexually abuse a ten-month-old girl.

During police questioning, Brown admitted he was unsure if he had a sexual interest in children but acknowledged that some of the material he viewed had aroused him. Regarding the spy camera, he admitted he bought it specifically to record the girl, stating he did so “to get what he wanted.”

Brown also confessed to downloading indecent images over several years, though the full extent of his offending might never be fully understood because he had installed Eraser software capable of deleting images beyond police recovery. Brown had visited various file-sharing platforms and websites such as 'spotsofpurity,' which hosted child abuse videos and films, and 'darkscandals,' an access point requiring users to submit a video or bitcoin in exchange for access to around 1,000 child abuse images.

The police found a total of 82 Category A images (most extreme), 276 Category B images, and 2,886 Category C images. There were 2,787 'unique' images and 365 videos in total.

Brown, now residing on Mill Lane in Pontefract, pleaded guilty to charges of voyeurism, taking indecent photographs, and three counts of making indecent images. He had no prior convictions. Although he has since moved out of his family home, his wife provided character references for him.

Judge Mark Bury remarked, "It seems to me, egregious though these offences are, it’s difficult to see what more he could have done since the commission of them to put things right." The court heard that Brown had worked with charities like Safer Lives and The Lucy Faithfull Foundation. The prosecution's lawyer, Mr. Brook, requested the judge consider a suspended sentence.

However, the judge sentenced Brown to 18 months in prison, stating, "I tell you now that’s simply impossible, Mr. Brown. The nature of this offending is such it would be totally failing in my duty to impose anything other than an immediate sentence of imprisonment."

Furthermore, Brown was subjected to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order and is required to register as a sex offender for the same duration.