GLENN BUCHAN FROM FAVERSHAM SENTENCED FOR CHILD AND ANIMAL ABUSE IMAGES IN MAIDSTONE

In March 2011, Glenn Buchan, a 30-year-old former studio photographer residing in Faversham, found himself at the center of a serious criminal case involving the possession of highly disturbing and illegal images. The authorities uncovered a disturbing collection of indecent photographs and videos on his computer, which included not only explicit images of children but also grotesque and unacceptable footage depicting the sexual abuse of various animals.

During a court session at Maidstone Crown Court, Buchan appeared in the dock, visibly lowering his head as he faced the charges. The court proceedings revealed that he had pleaded guilty to 11 counts of possessing films and images that depicted depraved acts involving humans and multiple animal species, including dogs, chickens, donkeys, a gerbil, and eels. Additionally, he admitted to four counts of possessing indecent photographs of children, which were discovered during a police raid conducted in January 2010 at his residence.

The police raid took place at Buchan’s home, which he shares with his fiancée, Victoria, a teacher. Despite the severity of the charges, Victoria was reported to be standing by him during the proceedings. When questioned by officers, Buchan explained that he had used a recovery program on his computer to download the illicit files. He claimed that his curiosity about the previous owner’s activities led him to access these disturbing images. He admitted to finding numerous indecent images, which he initially opened and then deleted, but he continued to download more over the following months. Buchan confessed that he felt sexually aroused by the images and used them for sexual gratification.

The court was informed that most of the images involved in this case were classified as level one, indicating the least severe category of indecency. Despite the disturbing nature of his actions, the judge, Jeremy Carey, emphasized that Buchan had already endured significant punishment through his feelings of disgrace and guilt. The judge stated that there needed to be a balance between punishment and rehabilitation.

As part of his sentence, Buchan was ordered to complete a three-year community order, which includes supervision by a probation officer. He was also issued a five-year sexual offences prevention order, which prohibits him from having unsupervised contact with children and from using a home computer without appropriate software to prevent the downloading of child abuse images. Furthermore, he is required to undertake 100 hours of unpaid community service and attend a specialized sex offender rehabilitation program in Thames Valley.