GRAHAM PROVINS FROM STROUD CONVICTED OF CHILD ABUSE IMAGE OFFENSES IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the community of Stroud, Gloucestershire, Graham Provins, a 50-year-old local musician, was found guilty of possessing and creating indecent images of children. The conviction followed a detailed investigation and a court trial that revealed disturbing evidence of child abuse material stored on Provins's electronic devices.

On Tuesday, March 26, a jury at Gloucester Crown Court deliberated for less than two hours before reaching a unanimous verdict, convicting Provins on three separate charges related to child exploitation images. The charges stemmed from an incident in September 2017, when police executed a search warrant at his residence on Bourne Green, Stroud, and uncovered incriminating evidence.

The police raid took place early in the morning, precisely at 6:42 am on September 29, 2017. During the operation, authorities seized a Compaq laptop from a box in Provins's home office. Although other electronic devices were also confiscated, it was the contents of the Compaq that proved most incriminating. The device contained ten images of child abuse, including eight video clips classified as the most serious category of such material, the court heard.

Prosecutor Stephen Dent outlined to the jury that Provins had also conducted online searches using terms associated with child abuse images. Despite his claims of innocence, the evidence showed that Provins had attempted to conceal his activities by installing a new version of the Windows 7 operating system over the existing one. However, forensic analysis revealed six images still stored in the recycling bin of the old system, located within a folder named 'windows.old.' Additional images were recovered from other folders linked to peer-to-peer sharing software, indicating a pattern of deliberate concealment.

Provins maintained during police interviews that he had no knowledge of the images and denied any sexual interest in children. He described himself as a self-employed non-domestic energy assessor and draughtsman, with academic credentials including a degree in Music and Related Arts and a postgraduate diploma in radio production. He explained that he had worked in London, primarily composing songs for commercials under the pseudonym '6061,' and claimed to have built six recording studios over the past thirty years.

He further stated that he allowed others to use his studio, which was located at his home at the time of the allegations. Provins admitted to using similar passwords across his devices and kept a list of them on a wall, a detail noted by arresting officers. When questioned about the downloads, he claimed to have been at his brother’s birthday celebration in Upton Upon Severn, where he stayed overnight, although he could not provide concrete proof of his whereabouts.

Following the verdict, Provins appeared visibly shaken, hanging his head in the dock. Judge Jason Taylor QC addressed him directly, emphasizing the seriousness of the offenses and the reality of the harm caused to the children depicted in the images. The judge warned Provins that he now faced a potential jail sentence but decided to adjourn the case for a pre-sentence report, leaving the possibility of a more lenient or harsher sentence depending on Provins’s future statements.

Judge Taylor explained that if Provins maintained his denial, sentencing options could be limited, but if he admitted his guilt and expressed remorse, probation services might have more to work with. The judge made it clear that no promises were being made regarding the outcome, and Provins was scheduled to be sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on April 18, 2019.