GRAHAM ACHESON SENTENCED IN TRURO FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES INVOLVING CAMBORNE AND ST AGNES

In October 2021, Graham Acheson, a 64-year-old man with a long history of offenses related to child exploitation, was sentenced to 10 months in prison at Truro Crown Court. The conviction stemmed from his repeated possession of indecent images of children, marking his third criminal case involving such material. Acheson, who resides on Trevu Road in Camborne, was found guilty of possessing two counts of indecent images of children and also of breaching a previously suspended sentence.

During the court proceedings, prosecutor Emily Cook detailed Acheson’s criminal history, noting that he had previously received non-custodial sentences in 2011 and 2017, both accompanied by rehabilitative orders aimed at curbing his inappropriate behavior. Despite these efforts, Acheson’s pattern of offending persisted. In 2018, authorities discovered him in possession of Category B images depicting children aged between 8 and 14, as well as Category C images of children aged between 6 and 11. This possession constituted a clear violation of his earlier court orders, leading to his current incarceration.

The court took into account both his breach of the previous order and his recent offenses when sentencing him to 10 months in prison. This case underscores the ongoing challenge of rehabilitating offenders with a history of child exploitation and highlights the importance of strict legal consequences for such crimes.

In a related case from November 2011, Acheson, then aged 55 and living in St Agnes, was convicted of possessing and making over 1,000 indecent images of children. He was sentenced to a three-year community order after admitting to 19 counts of creating indecent images, including 54 moving images. His offenses spanned from February 14, 2007, to November 12 of the following year. The images he possessed included some classified as the most serious category, reflecting the severity of his crimes.

At that time, Acheson was known for his work as a seasonal lifeguard on St Agnes beach from 2002 to 2006 and had volunteered as a shore helper for the St Agnes lifeboat until 2007. He was also a member of the St Agnes Surf Lifesaving Club until the previous year, although he no longer maintains any involvement with the organization. As part of his sentence, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for the next five years, emphasizing the ongoing legal measures to monitor his activities and prevent further offenses.