GAVIN MARSDEN FROM SHEFFIELD CAUGHT WITH CHILD SEX ABUSE VIDEOS IN 2013
| Red Rose Database
Sheffield Sexual Abuser
In August 2013, a case emerged involving Gavin Marsden, a 26-year-old man from Sheffield, who faced serious allegations related to the possession of explicit child abuse material. The incident came to light after Marsden’s laptop, which he had sold several years earlier, was examined by authorities, leading to his eventual arrest and prosecution.
According to court proceedings, Marsden was found to have stored 16 indecent videos depicting children on his personal computer. Among these videos, one was particularly disturbing, featuring a child as young as two or three years old. The court heard that these videos were of varying severity, categorized into four grades, with the most serious involving girls in their early teens, including a girl approximately nine or ten years old, and a very young child aged just two or three.
Prosecutor Brian Outhwaite explained that the laptop in question was purchased by a man named Dean Wainright for £65 from an online marketplace in 2011. Wainright, upon inspecting the device, discovered the disturbing content and promptly reported his findings to the police. The authorities then examined the computer and traced the ownership back to Marsden, leading to his arrest.
During police interviews, Marsden claimed that he had come across the images by accident, attempting to downplay his involvement. However, investigators uncovered a list of Google searches on his device, which strongly suggested that he had actively sought out images of young girls, indicating a deliberate interest rather than mere accidental discovery.
The court heard that Marsden had downloaded multiple videos, with two classified as grade one, three as grade two, five as grade three, and six as grade four, the most severe category. The content involved young girls, some as young as nine or ten, and included very young children, raising serious concerns about his intentions.
In his defense, Andrew Swaby, representing Marsden, stated that his client was deeply ashamed of his actions. He emphasized that Marsden had since moved past this period of his life and that subsequent investigations revealed no similar content on his other computers.
Judge Michael Murphy QC addressed the court, highlighting the unusual circumstances of the case. He noted that the offenses dated back several years and only came to light after the sale of the laptop. While acknowledging the absence of further offending material, the judge expressed concern over Marsden’s deliberate curiosity in seeking out such disturbing content. The judge remarked, “Your situation is different to that of many people who find these kinds of offences charged against them. These were downloaded several years ago and didn’t come to light until your computer was sold. I am influenced by the fact there were no others, but you exhibited a deliberate curiosity in this revolting child sex abuse. Having said that, the fact you downloaded this and did it more than once means there is a curiosity which, to say the least, is unhealthy and you need to deal with it.”
As part of his sentence, Marsden was ordered to complete a two-year community order, attend an internet sex offending course, and register as a sex offender for five years. Additionally, he was required to pay £65 in compensation to Dean Wainright, who had initially discovered the content on the laptop.
According to court proceedings, Marsden was found to have stored 16 indecent videos depicting children on his personal computer. Among these videos, one was particularly disturbing, featuring a child as young as two or three years old. The court heard that these videos were of varying severity, categorized into four grades, with the most serious involving girls in their early teens, including a girl approximately nine or ten years old, and a very young child aged just two or three.
Prosecutor Brian Outhwaite explained that the laptop in question was purchased by a man named Dean Wainright for £65 from an online marketplace in 2011. Wainright, upon inspecting the device, discovered the disturbing content and promptly reported his findings to the police. The authorities then examined the computer and traced the ownership back to Marsden, leading to his arrest.
During police interviews, Marsden claimed that he had come across the images by accident, attempting to downplay his involvement. However, investigators uncovered a list of Google searches on his device, which strongly suggested that he had actively sought out images of young girls, indicating a deliberate interest rather than mere accidental discovery.
The court heard that Marsden had downloaded multiple videos, with two classified as grade one, three as grade two, five as grade three, and six as grade four, the most severe category. The content involved young girls, some as young as nine or ten, and included very young children, raising serious concerns about his intentions.
In his defense, Andrew Swaby, representing Marsden, stated that his client was deeply ashamed of his actions. He emphasized that Marsden had since moved past this period of his life and that subsequent investigations revealed no similar content on his other computers.
Judge Michael Murphy QC addressed the court, highlighting the unusual circumstances of the case. He noted that the offenses dated back several years and only came to light after the sale of the laptop. While acknowledging the absence of further offending material, the judge expressed concern over Marsden’s deliberate curiosity in seeking out such disturbing content. The judge remarked, “Your situation is different to that of many people who find these kinds of offences charged against them. These were downloaded several years ago and didn’t come to light until your computer was sold. I am influenced by the fact there were no others, but you exhibited a deliberate curiosity in this revolting child sex abuse. Having said that, the fact you downloaded this and did it more than once means there is a curiosity which, to say the least, is unhealthy and you need to deal with it.”
As part of his sentence, Marsden was ordered to complete a two-year community order, attend an internet sex offending course, and register as a sex offender for five years. Additionally, he was required to pay £65 in compensation to Dean Wainright, who had initially discovered the content on the laptop.