JUSTIN SANDERS FROM EXETER JAILED FOR DELETING CHILD ABUSE EVIDENCE ON HIS LAPTOP
Justin Sanders, a 26-year-old man from Exeter, has been sentenced to prison after deliberately attempting to erase incriminating evidence from his personal computer.The incident came to light during a police investigation when authorities discovered that Sanders had installed software designed to remove traces of his online activity, specifically on his laptop.
This action was particularly significant because Sanders is a convicted sex offender who was under a court order prohibiting him from deleting his internet search history.
Exeter Crown Court heard that last year, police officers conducted a routine check on Sanders and found child abuse images stored on his mobile phone.
Further investigation revealed that he had installed the popular cleaning software CCleaner on his laptop, which he used to delete evidence of his online searches and activity during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
Sanders claimed during the court proceedings that his intention was merely to improve his computer’s performance by deleting cookies, temporary files, and caches.
However, the judge, Recorder Don Tait, pointed out that the evidence indicated otherwise, suggesting that Sanders was actively removing indecent images of children from his device.
Recorder Tait emphasized the deliberate nature of Sanders’ actions, stating, "He was deliberately and knowingly deleting incriminating and significant evidence from his laptop." As a result, Sanders was sentenced to two years in prison for his offences.
In addition to the charges related to the deletion of evidence, Sanders, who resides on Howell Road in Exeter, admitted to possessing indecent images of children on his phone.
He also confessed to breaching the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) that had been imposed on him in 2016.
The prosecution, led by Mr.
Brian Fitzherbert, explained that police were unable to determine exactly which images Sanders had deleted from his laptop.
Nonetheless, they uncovered a Facebook conversation in which Sanders exchanged messages with another sex offender, expressing enthusiastic paedophilic opinions about a child anime character.
Sanders has a history of convictions related to child exploitation, including possessing indecent images of children and committing sexual offences against boys.
His previous criminal record underscores the ongoing concerns about his behavior and the potential risk he poses to the public.
During the hearing, Sanders’ defense lawyer, Ms.
Emily Pitts, argued that Sanders was aware he had breached his SHPO by deleting cookies using CCleaner.
She stated that his police offender manager had given him permission to perform such actions.
Ms.
Pitts emphasized that Sanders was a person in need of help for his problematic behavior and that incarceration would not serve his best interests.
She expressed the view that prison would be a damaging environment for Sanders and would not address the underlying issues driving his conduct.
Instead, she advocated for structured, tailored intervention programs aimed at rehabilitating him and protecting the community in the long term.
