STROOD BUTCHER GLENN BRYEN SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENCES

On June 10, 2011, a man from Strood named Glenn Bryen was sentenced to a year in prison after being convicted of possessing and downloading child abuse images. Despite his protests of innocence, Bryen's guilt was confirmed by a jury at Maidstone Crown Court following a trial that revealed the extent of his involvement in the distribution of such material.

Judge Michael Carroll, presiding over the case, described Bryen as being in complete denial about his actions, despite what he called 'overwhelming' evidence against him. The judge expressed particular concern that Bryen, who is 40 years old, still maintained he was not responsible for the 355 video clips discovered on his hard drive in October 2009. These clips depicted various levels of abuse, with four classified at the highest level of five, and 70 at level four, indicating the severity of the content.

During the court proceedings, Bryen sat in the dock, shaking his head as his relatives, including his mother, were visibly distressed and sobbing. After the sentence was announced, members of his family voiced their disbelief, saying, 'He didn’t do it. How can he admit guilt when he hasn’t done it.'

The court was informed that the images found on Bryen’s computer included material depicting abuse of varying seriousness. His defense lawyer, Tom Stern, argued that the images were not stored or organized in any particular way and that there was no evidence of distribution or sharing. Mr. Stern described the case as an isolated incident and suggested there was not a high level of personal interest in the images from Bryen.

However, Judge Carroll countered this, emphasizing that without individuals like Bryen, who have an interest in such material, there would be no supply of this 'filth.' The judge stated, 'Someone has set up these images, live images, to copy and distribute, and it is because of the interest of persons such as your client that it will continue to be done and children will be abused to satisfy the need, to put it bluntly, of the consumer.'

At the time of his arrest, Bryen was also working as a carer and was close to completing his studies to become a mental health nurse. Despite his efforts, he was sentenced to serve half of his one-year term. Additionally, he is subject to a sexual offences prevention order that bans him from owning any computer equipment capable of accessing the Internet or from having an Internet account for the next 10 years. Bryen is also required to sign the sex offenders’ register for a decade, reflecting the serious nature of his crimes and the ongoing restrictions imposed upon him.