GAVIN WILKINSON FROM WESTHOUGHTON SHOCKS COURT WITH CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IMAGES TRIAL

In a highly charged courtroom scene at Bolton Crown Court, Gavin Wilkinson, a man from Westhoughton, broke down in tears on the very first day of his trial, admitting guilt to a series of serious charges related to child sexual abuse images. Wilkinson faced 28 counts of downloading and possessing a vast collection of indecent images of children, a case that has drawn significant attention due to the disturbing nature of the evidence and the circumstances surrounding his arrest.

The court was informed that Wilkinson, aged 32, resided at a property on Glazebury Drive in Westhoughton, where police executed a raid on April 4, 2014. During the search, authorities confiscated a computer tower, a laptop, a hard drive, and an iPhone from his home, which he shared with his wife. Subsequent forensic analysis of these devices uncovered a staggering amount of illicit material. The computer tower contained 402 indecent photographs and 62 movies of children, while the laptop held an additional 8,527 photographs and 35 movies. All of these images were traced back to internet sources, with the content ranging from children in various states of undress to explicit sexual abuse involving minors.

Prosecutor Louise Brandon detailed how the investigation revealed that Wilkinson had actively searched for and downloaded these images. Evidence showed that he used file-sharing software to locate the material, and just a day before his arrest, he had placed nine indecent movies into a folder labeled with filenames such as “pedoland,” which included the abbreviation PTHC, indicating pre-teen hardcore content. The analysis indicated a pattern of regular searches and downloads of child abuse images from December 1, 2012, up until his arrest.

Further examination of Wilkinson’s devices revealed that he had been browsing the internet on his mobile phone, which contained a backup of his iPhone. This backup showed that he had been viewing images on a photo-sharing website, with folder titles like “Lolita 9 yo underwear.” The court was told that Wilkinson would often access these images on his phone shortly after communicating via text messages with his wife, friends, or Stacey, a woman with whom he was involved romantically. Notably, he had also viewed child abuse images within minutes of visiting a Manchester United website, a team he supported.

Throughout the proceedings, the prosecution emphasized that Wilkinson was the sole occupant of the house and the only person who could have been responsible for the downloads and viewing of the illicit material. Despite initially denying any involvement, Wilkinson admitted ownership of the devices but claimed he had not downloaded or viewed child pornography. However, the evidence presented was overwhelming, and as the trial was about to proceed with witness testimony, Wilkinson was overcome with emotion, collapsing in tears and pleading guilty to all charges. The court granted him bail to allow for a pre-sentence report, with sentencing scheduled for the following Friday, leaving the court to consider the full extent of his actions and the appropriate punishment.