March 2016 Churchgoer was repeat viewer of child abuse images A church goer has been sent on a sex offenders’ course after being found with images which showed very young children suffering serious sexual abuse. Graham Parkinson carried on accessing the images on file sharing websites even after police seized his computers. He bought a new laptop and carried on, Exeter Crown Court was told. The 64-year-old was found with offensive images on both his old computer and the new one which he used while on bail. Parkinson, of North Street, Exeter, admitted making or possessing indecent images of children and was jailed for 14 months, suspended for two years, and ordered to attend an internet sex offenders’ treatment programme. Recorder Mr Philip Mott, QC, told him: “The aggravating features are that this was against a background of earlier offending, which had been discovered and the offences were committed by using a new computer and hard drive purchased after your arrest. “In addition there is discernible pain and distress to be seen being suffered by children in two of the images depicted. Some of the children were very young. “You are aged 64 and it is the interest of the public that you undertake a sex offenders treatment programme.” William Parkhill, for the prosecution, said the new offences occurred during the lengthy period when Parkinson was originally arrested in 2014 and when he received a ten month suspended sentence for the earlier images in November 2015. He said there is no evidence he had carried on downloading material after that sentence was passed. Parkinson was initially identified by another agency from his use of peer to peer file sharing software and the examination of his laptop showed 126 images at the worst category of A, 453 at B and 913 at C. Warren Robinson, for the defence, said Parkinson has been in custody over these offences since December but has been addressing his issues with the help of the probation service. He said: “He has been engaging constructively in prison. He is a supervisor in the workshop and is giving counselling classes through his church connections. “He says he was not a hypocrite. He is horrified by what he did and deeply ashamed.” January 2016 Sentence delayed as police find more child abuse images The sentence on a man guilty of downloading child abuse images has been adjourned after police experts found more material on his machine. Graham Parkinson, aged 64, was already on a suspended sentence for identical offences when his Exeter home was raided again in December. Parkinson, of North Street, Exeter, has admitted five counts of making indecent photographs of children. Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, adjourned his sentence at Exeter Crown Court to allow the police’s high tech crime unit to prepare an updated report on new images. He remanded Parkinson in custody and asked the police to establish whether the newly discovered images were downloaded after the previous suspended sentence was imposed in November. Mr Neil Traherne, prosecuting, said the further inquiries had been prompted by a basis of plea submitted by Parkinson at a previous hearing. He said:”A further examination of his computer equipment has been carried out by the high tech crime unit, who have found evidence of a further 259 category A images and an additional 4,500 other images in categories B and C. “It is important that some of these images seem to have got into his system after the last suspended sentence.” Mr Peter Seigne, defending, said the adjournment is not opposed. Indecent images are categorised by the police in three categories, of which the most serious is A, which shows adults having sex with children, sadism, bestiality, or other serious abuse. Categories B shows sexual activity between children and C shows child nudity.