NEWTON ABBOT MAN ERIC WORTHINGTON SENT ON SEX OFFENDERS COURSE FOR EXTREME IMAGES
A man who viewed pornography was ordered to complete a sex offenders' course after police discovered a picture of a woman with an octopus on her body on his computer.In addition, Eric Worthington possessed 2,378 images and videos related to child abuse, many depicting very young victims being sexually assaulted by adults.
These were found on a laptop, phone, USB stick, and DVDs.
The 58-year-old van driver had used a specialized browser to access the dark web and download extreme content, including images of bestiality.
One such image showed a woman with an octopus on her buttocks.
Investigations revealed he had searched online for sites involving bestiality and hardcore images of pre-teen girls, mostly between the ages of two and four.
Several images also involved children with dogs in sexual acts.
Worthington, of Old Exeter Road, Newton Abbot, pleaded guilty to three counts of creating indecent images of children and one count of possessing extreme pornography depicting adults engaging in sex with dogs or an octopus—images described by the judge as "grossly offensive, disgusting and obscene." He was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years.
Additionally, he was ordered to attend a 60-day treatment program, perform 140 hours of unpaid community service, and pay £350 in costs, as decided by Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court.
He was also placed on the sex offenders' register for ten years and subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, allowing authorities to monitor his internet activity for the same period.
Prosecutor Mr.
Brian Fitzherbert stated that during a police raid in December of the previous year, authorities found 2,378 illegal child abuse images and videos across various devices, including 565 in the most serious category.
He explained that Worthington used the Tor browser to access the dark web and installed software to erase his activity, although there was no evidence he had employed this software.
Mr.
Fitzherbert highlighted: "The children depicted ranged from ages one to 14, though most were between two and four.
The extreme content primarily involved dogs, but there was also an image of a woman with an octopus in her anus." The judge addressed Worthington directly, stating: "Many of the images showed very young children being penetratively abused by adults.
Your collection was large, and included videos." "It is clear you deliberately searched for these images, and your activity extended over a period of more than five years." "The probation report indicates that you feel genuine shame and remorse.
It appears you are socially isolated and may serve as an example of someone who spends excessive time online rather than engaging with people offline." "However, you have some awareness of the harm caused by creating and viewing these abhorrent images."
