October 2017 Indecent child images offences means man must register as sex offender A 57-year-old Carlisle man has been put on the Sex Offenders’ Register after he admitted charges of downloading and possessing child sexual abuse images John Lawrence Walton, of Newtown Road, Carlisle, committed the offences over four days in August of last year, the city’s Rickergate Magistrates’ Court heard. During a brief court appearance, the defendant pleaded guilty to four allegations: three of downloading indecent images of children; and one of possessing such images, all the offences having been committed between August 1 and August 4 last year.
Two of the images were classed as category A – the most serious kind. A further 39 images were Category C, and six were Category B. In court, prosecutor Pam Ward an aggravating factor was that some of images involve very young children. Magistrates ruled that the offences were so serious that they should be dealt with by a judge at Carlisle Crown Court. Walton was granted bail until he appears at that court for his sentencing hearing on November 10. In the meantime, he must register as a sex offender with Cumbria Police. During the hearing, the defendant spoke only to confirm his name and address.