JOHN ANGELL'S HORRIFIC CHILD ABUSE IMAGE CASE IN BOURNEMOUTH SHOCKS COMMUNITY

In a disturbing case that has sent shockwaves through the Bournemouth community, John Angell, a resident of Churchill Road, faced serious criminal charges related to the possession and creation of indecent images of children. The case, which unfolded in May at Bournemouth Magistrates Court, revealed that Angell, aged 45, had accumulated a staggering total of 2,817 illicit images depicting minors under the age of 16 on his personal computer.

Following a police investigation, authorities seized Angell's home computer along with associated software, uncovering the disturbing content that formed the basis of the charges. Prosecutor Antonia Jamieson detailed the nature of the images, stating that 2,144 of them were classified as Category One, indicating the most severe level of indecency. An additional 180 images fell into Category Two, with 373 in Category Three, 110 in Category Four, and ten categorized as Category Five, which is considered the most serious and heinous.

Angell faced a total of 16 charges, with the majority relating to the Category Five images. Specifically, charges one through ten involved the most severe images, while charges eleven through sixteen pertained to the Category Four images, with a cumulative count of 2,801 images considered in the case. During police interviews, Angell admitted to creating these images, describing the period as a "very dark time in his life." He also claimed that his actions were akin to a hobby, comparing it to stamp collecting. However, the court and Judge John Beashel dismissed this analogy as entirely unacceptable given the nature of the crimes.

Judge Beashel addressed the court, emphasizing the severity of the offenses. He stated, "You are a man of previous good character but ten of the photos are categorised level five and 110 level four and are revolting in the extreme. By downloading this filthy material you are corrupting young children. You likened this to stamp collecting but I greet this with scepticism and don't accept it at all."

As a result of his convictions, Angell was sentenced to 18 months in prison for each of the ten counts involving the most serious images, with all sentences to run concurrently. Additionally, he was ordered to register on the sex offenders register and was disqualified from ever working with children, reflecting the serious nature of his crimes and the potential risk to the community.