GARY HOPE FROM BANGOR AND BLACKPOOL JAILED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN NORTHERN IRELAND AND ENGLAND

In a series of disturbing incidents spanning across Bangor, Blackpool, and Northern Ireland, Gary Hope, a man with a troubling history involving child abuse images, has been sentenced to prison for possessing and creating indecent images of children. The legal proceedings revealed the extent of Hope’s involvement with such material, highlighting the serious nature of his offenses and the ongoing threat he poses to the safety of minors.

In May 2014, Hope, aged 55, was convicted at Preston Crown Court after admitting to multiple charges related to the possession and creation of child abuse images. The court was informed that Hope had accessed highly disturbing material via his mobile phone, which depicted children being sexually abused. The images were described as “utterly depraved,” and the court heard that Hope’s actions had caused significant concern among law enforcement officials. The Probation Service classified Hope as a very high risk of re-offending, yet failed to fully grasp the gravity of his crimes, describing him as “duplicitous and devious.”

Judge Christopher Cornwall delivered a stern warning to Hope, emphasizing the severity of his crimes. He stated, “You still insist on saying they are just images. They are images of real children having sexual offences committed against them. These are crime scenes you have been looking at. While people such as you think it appropriate to look at these images, then the utterly corrupt people who make and distribute them will go on making and distributing them, which means children are going to be abused.”

Hope pleaded guilty to five charges of making indecent images and four charges of possessing such images. The police investigation began in January of the previous year when officers raided his home in Blackpool after receiving intelligence suggesting he might possess indecent photographs of children. During the search, authorities seized his mobile phone, which contained over 750 images. The majority of these images, 693 in total, were classified at the lowest level of severity, Level One. However, there were also 31 images at Level Two, 12 at Level Three, and 18 at Level Four, with the children depicted estimated to be between the ages of eight and 14.

During police interviews, Hope denied responsibility for the images, claiming that he had lent his phone to someone else. Further investigations uncovered additional indecent images on his computer, which had been found in October 2010. As a result of these findings, Hope was extradited to Northern Ireland, where he was subsequently sentenced in November of the previous year to a four-year extended prison term. The court made it clear that such material and the pleasure derived from viewing it mark Hope as “utterly depraved.”

In addition to his prison sentence, Hope was ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years and was subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, restricting his activities and contact with minors.

Earlier, in November 2013, Hope’s criminal record was further reinforced when he was jailed in Belfast for possessing nearly 500 images of child abuse. Belfast Crown Court Judge David McFarland sentenced him to one year in prison, followed by an additional three years on supervised license. The judge highlighted that this was not Hope’s first offense, noting his previous convictions, including a three-month sentence at Dover Magistrates’ Court in 2008 for similar offenses and a three-year sentence in 2004 for child abduction.

The court was told that police had stumbled upon Hope’s activities by chance during an investigation into a burglary in Bangor. An Acer laptop stolen during the burglary was linked to Hope, who was found asleep in a car with another man. When police attempted to access the laptop, Hope refused to open it, raising suspicion. Upon examination by the police’s e-crime unit, the device was found to contain approximately 430 images, including some depicting sexual acts, categorized at the most severe levels of abuse. The prosecution emphasized the serious and ongoing risk Hope poses to children, especially given his history of similar offenses.

Defense lawyer Michael Boyd urged the court to impose a probation order aimed at rehabilitation, citing Hope’s difficult childhood marked by “cruelty and neglect” as a contributing factor to his deviant sexual interests. However, Belfast Recorder Judge McFarland rejected this plea, citing the danger Hope’s previous convictions and current behavior posed to the public, particularly children. Hope was thus sentenced to serve time in prison, ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years, and was barred from working with children, underscoring the gravity of his crimes and the ongoing threat he represents.