JOHN SQUANCE FROM PLYMOUTH CAUGHT WITH CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN BARNE BARTON

In a disturbing incident in Barne Barton, Plymouth, firefighters responding to a fire at a shed uncovered a troubling discovery involving John Squance, a 52-year-old man. During their intervention, they found Squance in possession of a significant stash of child abuse images, which he was actively storing in bin bags within the shed. The court heard that this discovery was part of a broader investigation into his activities.

Initially, Squance attempted to justify his possession of the illicit material by claiming that some of the images belonged to his late father, who had passed away five years prior. He explained that he had stored the items in the shed to prevent his elderly and disabled mother from seeing them. However, this explanation was later contradicted when he admitted to downloading thousands of indecent images from the internet. He revealed that he had installed a file-sharing program called Limewire, which he used to access and download these images for his own sexual gratification.

Prosecutor David Gittins provided details to Plymouth Crown Court, stating that following the firefighters' visit on April 29, police seized a variety of evidence from Squance’s property. This included handwritten stories and pictures, as well as his computer, disks, and tapes. The evidence revealed a disturbing collection of images, totaling 6,919 at Level 1, which is considered the lowest level of seriousness. Additionally, there were 262 images at Level 2, 455 at Level 3, 463 at Level 4, and a single eight-second movie clip also classified at Level 4. The court was informed that the highest level of seriousness in such images is Level 5.

Squance pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including nine counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possession of such images. He also admitted to failing to attend a scheduled hearing at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on July 8. His legal representative, Nick Lewin, emphasized that Squance had no prior criminal convictions.

Judge Francis Gilbert QC addressed Squance directly, emphasizing the gravity of his offenses. He stated that downloading child pornography was a serious crime with real victims, asserting, “There was a victim each time a child was abused to make a film.” The judge highlighted that such acts are not victimless and carry severe consequences.

As a result, Judge Gilbert sentenced Squance to seven months in prison, though the sentence was suspended for two years. Additionally, he imposed a two-year period of supervision by the Probation Service. The court also ordered Squance to register as a sex offender for ten years, to be subject to an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order, and to attend the Thames Valley Sex Offenders’ Programme. Furthermore, the court ordered the confiscation of Squance’s computer to prevent further misuse of such material.

Tragically, it was later reported that John Squance had died, marking the end of this disturbing case in Plymouth.