JOHN HAMILTON SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL FOR CHILD INDECENT IMAGE OFFENSES
A man named John Hamilton, formerly of Widnes and now residing in Liverpool's Georgian Quarter, was convicted of possessing and downloading child sexual abuse images.Hamilton, 37 years old, was previously sentenced to two years in prison in 2011 for possessing, downloading, and distributing indecent images of children.
After his release, he was required to sign the Sex Offenders Register and was subject to a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).
This order prohibited him from possessing photographs of any child under 16 unless he had explicit permission from a parent or guardian of the child.
Despite these restrictions, Hamilton contacted police in November 2019 to report that he had acquired a new mobile phone, providing the IMEI number.
During a subsequent investigation, officers examined his old device, a Huawei Honor 6, which revealed troubling content.
Hamilton confessed to downloading thousands of such files over the years.
Liverpool Crown Court was informed that Hamilton had reported his new phone, which initially appeared satisfactory to officers, but when asked to produce his previous device, the Honor 6, two photos and a video of young girls around six years old were discovered.
Hamilton claimed these were received via WhatsApp, leading to the device's seizure.
Analysis showed the phone contained 515 indecent images of children, 690 non-indecent images, and had a VPN installed.
Prosecutor Kenneth Grant explained that VPNs can be used to avoid detection by hiding a user's IP address and location.
The police also uncovered an extensive collection of illegal material: 243 files categorized as Category A, showing the most serious offenses, including a girl aged between two and four being raped and images of two boys being sexually abused.
The files, created between October 2017 and May 2019, also included 243 Category B and 184 Category C images.
Notably, there was a disturbing Category B image depicting a boy between 12 and 18 months old.
Hamilton had been interviewed twice initially, denying any significant wrongdoing, but later chose to admit full responsibility during a third interview, acknowledging that over the years he viewed thousands of images, mainly between 2016 and 2019.
He stated that he had not taken any photographs himself and claimed he viewed the images out of boredom.
He emphasized, "He stated that he looked at images out of boredom.
He stated he was attracted to children but he would never hurt a child and he did not want to have sex with a child." He acknowledged breaching his SOPO and was charged with one count of possession and three counts of downloading indecent images.
His defence lawyer, David Woods, pointed out that Hamilton did not try to minimize his actions, pleaded guilty quickly, and showed insight into the harm caused.
Woods explained that Hamilton had completed a prevention course with The Lucy Faithfull Foundation and had been engaging in constructive activities such as playing darts, learning guitar, reading, running, and listening to podcasts about stress and mental health.
He also kept in regular contact with his older brother, who, although uncomfortable discussing the matter, was trying to support him.
Woods stressed that Hamilton was aware of the embarrassment and distress his offending had caused his family, especially noting his mother’s heart problems, which added to his guilt.
He asked the court to consider community rehabilitation over immediate imprisonment.
Judge Thomas Teague, QC, acknowledged Hamilton’s honesty but emphasized the seriousness of the offense, particularly due to the vulnerability of some of the children involved and Hamilton’s previous conviction.
The judge stated, "There is only one appropriate punishment for your case, which is immediate custody," citing the depraved nature and low standards of such images, which he described as "exceptionally depraved even by the standards".
The judge sentenced Hamilton to 18 months in prison and imposed a new 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Additionally, he was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.
