DAVID HARRISON FROM DEVIZES ESCAPES JAIL IN CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASE

In a recent court hearing held at Andover, David Harrison, a resident of Hartmoor Road in Devizes, was spared a prison sentence after being found guilty of serious charges related to child pornography. The magistrates, after carefully considering the circumstances, decided against sending Harrison to jail, citing his role as a caregiver for his ailing wife as a significant factor in their decision.

Instead of incarceration, the court imposed a three-year community rehabilitation order on Harrison. This order requires him to participate in a sex offenders' rehabilitation program and mandates that he remains on the sex offenders register for a period of five years. The court emphasized the importance of monitoring and rehabilitating offenders while also considering their personal circumstances.

Harrison, aged 40, had previously pleaded guilty to ten charges of creating indecent photographs of children and one charge of possessing child pornography. The charges stemmed from a police investigation that uncovered disturbing evidence during a search of his residence in February of this year. During the search, authorities seized two computers and various CDs from his home, located in Devizes.

Prosecutor Becky Abbott detailed the findings, revealing that the seized computers contained 136 indecent images of children stored on their hard drives. She explained, “Images such as these don’t pop on to the screen. They need some positive action to get on to the screen,” highlighting the deliberate effort involved in accessing such material.

The investigation traced back to a broader inquiry initiated in 1999, which involved an internet company called Landslide. Harrison’s details had been passed on from this investigation, which uncovered child pornography originating from Russia and Indonesia. Landslide’s database reportedly served approximately 7,000 website customers. Harrison had accessed a website associated with Landslide for a period of 30 days in May 1999, during which he paid $29.95 US dollars.

During the hearing, Harrison’s defense lawyer, Andrew Eddy, urged the magistrates to consider the impact of a prison sentence on his client’s family. He emphasized that Harrison’s wife suffers from fibromyalgia, a condition that severely limits her mobility, often confining her to a wheelchair. Mr. Eddy stated, “His wife has fibromyalgia which causes her to be unable to walk the majority of the time and is in a wheelchair. Without the help of Mr Harrison she would not be able to cope.” He further argued that Harrison is genuinely caring and that imprisonment would have a detrimental effect on his family’s well-being.

Mr. Eddy also noted that Harrison had no recollection of having an account with Landslide, suggesting that the images found may have appeared during searches for legal adult material, without his explicit knowledge or intent. The court ordered the forfeiture of Harrison’s computer equipment, ensuring that any remaining evidence related to the case was permanently removed from his possession.