JASON BROWN FROM HYTHE ESCAPES JAIL AFTER CHILD PORN DISCOVERY

In a case that has shocked the community of Hythe, Jason Brown faced serious allegations after his wife, Deborah Walmsley, uncovered disturbing evidence on his computer discs.

The incident unfolded in September 2004 when Mrs. Walmsley, suspecting her husband was in contact with his former girlfriend, decided to search his belongings for any signs of infidelity or illicit activity.

During her search, she found four floppy computer discs stored in his briefcase. Concerned about alerting him directly, she took the discs to her neighbor, Maria Blanche, a known child care practitioner, and asked to examine them on her own computer.

What she discovered was far more disturbing than she could have anticipated. The discs contained explicit images of child pornography, which prompted immediate concern and action.

Mrs. Blanche, upon viewing the contents, promptly contacted the police to report the findings, recognizing the severity of the material.

The case was brought before Maidstone Crown Court, where the prosecution, led by Paul Valder, detailed the nature of the evidence. It was revealed that the discs contained various images depicting children being abused, with some images classified at the highest level of severity, level five.

Jason Brown, 39, of Ford Road, Hythe, was arrested in October of the same year. An examination of the floppy discs and the hard drive of his computer confirmed the presence of the illicit images.

During the court proceedings, Mr. Valder stated that the images ranged from levels two to five, with the most serious being level five. Brown admitted to possessing eight charges of indecent images of a child but denied that he had obtained these images from the internet.

He also claimed that he had no sexual interest in children and insisted that he had acquired the discs from a stranger in toilets in Dover, a statement he later retracted.

In his defense, Peter Alcock highlighted Brown’s mental health struggles, noting that he was currently on anti-depressants and had previously suffered from mental difficulties.

Mr. Alcock also mentioned that social services were involved with Brown’s family, which included his wife, who is registered disabled, and their three children, as well as a newborn baby born in July.

The defense argued that the family was in a fragile state and that the social services were satisfied with the current arrangements, planning a case conference to review the situation.

Judge Anthony Balston, in delivering his verdict, sentenced Brown to six months in prison, suspended for two years. The judge emphasized that Brown had narrowly avoided imprisonment, stating, “You have come within a whisker of going to prison. You must know that.”

The judge also cited exceptional circumstances, including Brown’s health and the involvement of social and health agencies, which he believed would prevent a recurrence of such behavior.

Additionally, Brown was ordered to register as a sex offender for five years, reflecting the seriousness of the charges and the potential risk to the community.