JULIA AND PETER HOWLETT OF BIRKENHEAD SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE AND PORNOGRAPHY

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Birkenhead, a woman named Julia Howlett, aged 45, was sentenced to prison after being found guilty of recording her 70-year-old husband, Peter Howlett, engaging in the sexual abuse of a six-year-old girl. The incident, which came to light through a series of police investigations, revealed a deeply troubling pattern of criminal behavior involving the couple.

According to court proceedings, Julia Howlett used a digital camera to capture explicit images of her husband touching and abusing the young girl. These photographs were stored on a CD labeled “best pictures,” indicating a disturbing level of premeditation and intent. The couple’s illicit collection was uncovered after Julia reported a burglary at their residence on October 1 of the previous year. When police arrived at their home on Fairbrook Drive in Birkenhead, they were handed over 15 CDs by a family member. These discs contained numerous indecent images of children, further evidence of the couple’s involvement in child exploitation.

In addition to these, Julia herself provided an additional 36 CDs, which contained over 700 pornographic images and videos, amounting to more than 26 hours of indecent footage. Prosecutor Philip Hall explained to the court that the majority of these images were classified as category four, which is considered the second most severe level of child abuse imagery, with some falling into the most serious category five.

During police interviews, Peter Howlett, who suffers from health issues and uses crutches, claimed that his actions were part of “research” and that he had been attempting to send viruses to paedophile websites. His wife, Julia, admitted to officers that she bore more responsibility for the collection of the images than her retired husband. Both individuals, who had no prior criminal records, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including one count of sexual assault on February 23, 2006, and 13 counts of making and possessing indecent photographs and videos between February 1, 2006, and October 2 of the previous year.

Judge David Swift sentenced both Julia and Peter Howlett to two years and eight months in prison. In his remarks, the judge emphasized the seriousness of their crimes, stating, “Obviously there had been the downloading and viewing of child pornography for some time, with the first movie downloaded in October 2005. Notwithstanding it had been going on for some time, there was a descent into making images of your own by photographing these indecent acts. Each of you knew what was going on, you knew what you were doing and you each knew it was wrong.”

Furthermore, the judge ordered the couple to register as sex offenders and imposed sexual offences prevention orders to prevent them from working with children in the future. The court also heard that Julia Howlett had a troubled background, having experienced violence in her first marriage despite a seemingly happy childhood. Her solicitor, Janet Reaney, stated that Julia had severed all ties with her family and was currently on anti-depressants, highlighting her mental health struggles amidst the gravity of her crimes.