DAVID BURTON OF BROTTON CAUGHT WITH CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN NORTH YORKSHIRE

In a case that has shocked the local community of Brotton, North Yorkshire, David Burton, a 52-year-old businessman and owner of the well-known 'Burton Bangers' sausage company, was found to be in possession of indecent images of children. The disturbing discovery was made at his residence on Jackson Street in Brotton on January 17, when police executed a search warrant and uncovered multiple devices containing illicit material.

Among the images found were eight photographs, some with explicit titles, depicting sexual acts involving very young children, including infants aged just one year and 18 months. Six of these images were videos, with one lasting approximately 23 minutes, and two classified under the most serious legal categories of child abuse imagery. The evidence suggested that Burton had actively searched for such material, as prosecutor Harry Hadfield pointed out during the hearing, stating, “There was evidence of active searching for this type of material.”

David Burton, who resides on Jackson Street in Brotton, was charged with two counts of making indecent images of children. This marked his first conviction related to such offenses. During the court proceedings, Burton maintained that he was not a paedophile, asserting that he never intentionally sought out or watched the images. Instead, he claimed that he had accidentally downloaded the illicit files while using a peer-to-peer file-sharing website in his search for music videos. Burton explained that he downloaded unidentified files, which he immediately deleted upon realizing their content, stating, “I stupidly downloaded it, saw it wasn’t something I wanted and I got rid of it. But that doesn’t make me a paedophile.”

He further insisted that he had never viewed the videos and expressed remorse, suggesting that the incident has led him to avoid file-sharing systems altogether. When approached by The Gazette last month, Burton described his reaction to the case, saying, “It has come across far worse than it actually is.”

Judge Howard Crowson presided over the case and, while acknowledging the seriousness of the offense, decided not to send Burton immediately to prison. The judge noted that the images involved different victims, some of whom were extremely young, and sentenced Burton to an eight-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, with supervision. Additionally, Burton was ordered to pay costs amounting to £340. As part of his sentence, he was subjected to a sexual harm prevention order that restricts his use of the internet, computers, and storage devices, and he will be registered as a sex offender for the next seven years.

In a related incident from May 2017, Burton had previously admitted to possessing indecent images of children, including a 23-minute video involving a child. Despite the potential for imprisonment, Burton expressed surprise at the legal proceedings, attributing the case’s prominence to the wider Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal. He reiterated his stance that he never actively searched for or watched the images, claiming that he downloaded them unintentionally and promptly deleted them upon discovery. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that Burton, a respected figure in the region and owner of 'Burton Bangers,' had downloaded such material over nearly a decade, including some of the most serious Category A images. His case was scheduled to be heard at Teesside Crown Court after pleading guilty at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on May 3, with sentencing to follow.