GABRIEL GONZALEZ, FORMER SPANISH ARMY SERGEANT, JAILED IN LUTON FOR CHILD SEX ABUSE MATERIAL

A man formerly serving as a sergeant in the Spanish army has been sentenced to 44 months in prison for storing and distributing highly disturbing child sex abuse images and videos. Gabriel Gonzalez, 43, possessed a 17-minute video titled 'Daisys Destruction,' which depicted the abuse of an 18-month-old girl. A police officer who viewed this footage described it as the worst he had ever encountered and advised other officers not to watch it, as reported at Luton Crown Court on February 3.

The sentencing comes shortly after a Bedford couple, Nicholas Harris and Clare Buttrice, were sentenced to a combined 35 years for their roles in sexually and mentally abusing children last week. Prosecutor Alex Kettle-Williams explained that police, acting on information, raided Gonzalez’s room at a multi-occupancy house in Campbell Road, Bedford, on the morning of October 18, 2018. Officers seized a laptop and three hard drives, but Gonzalez was not present at the time and later turned himself in, choosing not to comment on police questions.

Authorities found 404 images and 182 videos on his devices, with the videos totaling 20 hours of content. The longest single video lasted 3 hours and 19 minutes. Gonzalez had distributed nine Category A (most serious) videos and three Category B videos to other pedophiles. He downloaded 85 images and videos at Category A, 65 at Category B, and 379 at Category C, along with 57 images of extreme pornography. To obscure the content, he stored the images under the titles of music albums.

Ms. Kettle-Williams described Gonzalez’s personal collection as containing indecent images of pre-pubescent girls showing them in pain and crying, alongside footage involving bestiality and torture. He had used computer search terms like 'sadistic,' 'torture,' and 'snuff' during his activities.

Gonzalez, now residing on Pine Road, Didsbury, Manchester, pleaded guilty to two charges of distributing indecent images of children, three of making (downloading), and one of possessing extreme pornography. He had no prior convictions in England, Wales, or Spain.

Defense lawyer Richard Saynor noted Gonzalez’s early plea and highlighted his past service in the Spanish armed forces, where he reached the rank of sergeant and obtained a psychology qualification. After moving to the UK, he used his psychology background to assist adults with autism and was employed in that field. Following his arrest, he relocated to Manchester and was working at a car wash.

In a written apology to the court, Gonzalez expressed remorse, stating: 'Serving as a sergeant taught me strong standards of protecting community and having personal integrity. I realize I have fallen far from those high standards and wish to apologise to all the victims in this case.'

Regarding the 'Daisys Destruction' video, Recorder Bal Dhaliwal described it as 'the horrific, sadistic and tortured abuse of a completely vulnerable child of 18 months.' An investigating officer emphasized that this footage was the worst he had seen in his five years in the role and advised others against viewing it due to its disturbing nature.

The court ordered the confiscation and destruction of Gonzalez’s laptop and hard drives. Additionally, Gonzalez was ordered to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, barred from working with children or vulnerable adults, and required to register as a sex offender indefinitely.