DAVID DONKIN SENTENCED IN STOKE-ON-TRENT FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES
A pensioner and volunteer at a well-known family attraction has been found in possession of hundreds of child abuse images.David Donkin, who had been assisting at Foxfield Railway near Blythe Bridge since 1966, viewed disturbing photographs of children as young as three being exploited over a period of six years.
His offending was uncovered in December 2022, when police visited his residence and seized his electronic devices.
These devices contained a total of 2,430 indecent images of children across categories A to C, along with 295 prohibited images.
At Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, the 79-year-old Donkin was sentenced to a two-year community order.
This includes a requirement to complete a 20-day rehabilitation activity program and 80 hours of unpaid work.
Donkin, who had been actively involved with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation—a child protection charity—admitted to the charges.
Prosecutor Salek Ahmed stated that police from Operation Safenet responded to intelligence reports indicating that Donkin had uploaded a category C image of a child.
During analysis of seized items, including a computer tower and a mobile phone, authorities discovered: - 239 still indecent images and 39 videos at category A (most serious), - 234 still images and 43 videos at category B, - 1,858 still images and 17 videos at category C, - 265 prohibited still images and 30 prohibited videos of children.
Donkin fully cooperated during police interviews and admitted responsibility.
Mr.
Ahmed highlighted that some children in the images appeared as young as three or four years old and that the offending spanned from 2016 to 2022.
In court, Donkin, of Waterside Drive, Blurton, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of a child and one count of possessing a prohibited image.
Mitigating attorney Stuart Muldoon mentioned that police had provided Donkin with information about the Lucy Faithfull Foundation upon seizing his devices.
Mr.
Muldoon said, “He started engaging and did not replace the items seized by the police.
For almost a year, he was involved with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.
Currently, he has no devices that can access the internet.
The offending has a lot of stigma.” He added that Donkin, who worked at Creda and has been involved with the steam railway since 1966, has been suspended from his volunteer activities due to the police investigation.
“There is no suggestion he has had contact with children.
He is hopeful he will be able to return there,” Muldoon stated.
“He is very proud of his achievements in both his paid and voluntary work.
He feels ashamed, guilt-ridden, and upset about appearing in court.
He acknowledges that he became desensitized and addicted to pornography.” Recorder Julian Taylor commented, “You are 79 years old and of previous good character.
These are real children.
These disgraceful, horrible images depict the exploitation of children.
Some were as young as three or four.” Donkin was issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years and was also placed on the sex offenders' register for the same duration.
