CARLISLE MAN KEITH BELL JAILED FOR MULTIPLE OFFENCES INVOLVING CHILD ABUSE IMAGES
In June 2017, Keith Andrew Bell, a 46-year-old resident of Carlisle, was sentenced to 10 months in prison after being found guilty of downloading and viewing illegal images of children.Bell had previously received a suspended sentence in 2014 for downloading over 1,000 indecent photographs of children as young as one, covering an eight-year period.
During that case, he was also ordered to attend a sex offender treatment program.
However, Bell disregarded that court order and continued viewing illicit images of pre-pubescent girls over a 20-month span, doing so using a mobile phone while his computer equipment was under police scrutiny.
At Carlisle Crown Court, Bell, of Upperby Road, was convicted of three counts related to making indecent images of children—covering Class A, B, and C images—and possessing 50 such images.
Judge Peter Davies sentenced him to 10 months' imprisonment and ordered him to be registered on the sex offenders’ register for ten years.
This case follows a previous incident in July 2014 when Bell, then 43, was handed a one-year jail term, which was suspended, after he pleaded guilty to 12 counts of downloading child pornography.
Prosecutor John Woodward highlighted that police had uncovered evidence of Bell's decades-long interest in such material, with images dating back to November 2005.
Bell admitted to viewing these images for at least ten years, describing it as an addiction, and expressed a desire for help.
During police interviews, Bell reported viewing pornography while his partner was at work and preferred images of females aged 14 and over.
His legal representative, Gail Heard, stated that Bell had since installed software on his computer to prevent access to such material and had taken proactive steps, including contacting the Stop It Now charity and attending regular counseling sessions.
Judge Paul Batty QC remarked on the ease with which individuals can access such disturbing material online, emphasizing that many images involved actual sexual abuse of very young children.
While recognizing that Bell appeared to be a decent man on the surface, the judge acknowledged his dark side and the addiction underlying his offending.
Considering Bell’s efforts to seek help and his cooperation with authorities, the judge decided to suspend the prison sentence for two years.
Additionally, Bell was placed under two years of supervision by the Probation Service, required to participate in a Sexual Offences Behaviour Programme, and have monitoring software installed on his devices.
His details will remain on the sex offenders’ register for the next decade, and police will have unrestricted access to his computers' monitoring software at all times.
