JOHN CONROY FROM BLACKBURN CAUGHT WITH 40,000 CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IMAGES ON DARK WEB
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Blackburn, John Conroy, aged 43, was found to possess an astonishing and disturbing collection of over 40,000 indecent images of children, spanning more than ten years.The revelation came to light when Conroy was caught uploading a single image to the dark web, an act that ultimately led authorities to uncover the extent of his illegal activities.
Conroy, who resides on Preston New Road in Blackburn, appeared before Preston Crown Court to face serious charges related to his possession and creation of child exploitation material.
During the court proceedings, Judge Phillip Parry described the sheer volume of illegal images as a “breathtaking number,” emphasizing the severity of the case.
It was revealed that Conroy’s electronic devices contained not only a vast quantity of child sexual abuse images but also four extreme pornographic images depicting bestiality, along with other prohibited content involving children.
The police executed a search warrant at Conroy’s flat early in the morning on November 17, 2017.
During the search, Conroy did not deny his involvement; instead, he admitted to the officers, stating, “It is me.
I will own up.
It’s nothing to do with my partner,” and proceeded to hand over his passwords.
Authorities seized multiple devices, including a Lenovo tower computer and a Dell tower computer, which were subsequently sent for detailed analysis.
Investigators uncovered a staggering 5,000 images classified as Category A, the most serious type of child abuse images, along with 7,332 images in Category B and 32,398 images in Category C.
These figures highlight the extensive nature of Conroy’s illegal collection.
Conroy pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images, possession of extreme pornography, and possession of prohibited images.
Despite his guilty plea, he maintained that he had no sexual attraction to children, a claim that was met with skepticism by the court.
Judge Parry, during sentencing, expressed his disbelief at Conroy’s denial, stating, “You are completely in denial if you maintain that nearly 40,000 images collected over a decade is anything other than a sexual interest in young boys and girls.
I find quite readily that you do have an entrenched pattern of sexual offending.” After reviewing a pre-sentence report, the judge decided to suspend Conroy’s sentence to allow him the opportunity to undergo a sex offender treatment program.
Conroy was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, with additional requirements including participation in a treatment program and 20 days of rehabilitation activities.
The judge warned Conroy sternly, saying, “If I ever see you again, or find out you have not taken this opportunity to rid yourself of this addiction which you plainly have, you will be going to prison.” Conroy responded affirmatively, saying, “Yes, Your Honour.” Earlier in September 2018, Conroy had already admitted to creating hundreds of indecent images of children.
During a hearing at Blackburn magistrates court, it was revealed that between February 2008 and November 2017, he had made approximately 5,000 Category A images, the most severe form of child sexual abuse material.
Additionally, he produced 7,332 images in Category B and 32,398 images in Category C.
Police investigations also uncovered four extreme pornographic images involving bestiality and 236 prohibited images of children on his devices.
Conroy pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including making indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornography, and possessing prohibited images of children.
He was granted conditional bail to appear before a judge at Preston Crown Court on October 8, with strict conditions prohibiting any unsupervised contact with individuals under the age of 18.
