KEVIN HEYES SHOCKS BRIDLINGTON WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CONVICTION AT HULL CROWN COURT
In a disturbing case that has sent shockwaves through the community of Bridlington, Kevin Heyes, a 50-year-old man with a troubling history, was found guilty of possessing and viewing a vast array of indecent images of children.The incident came to light after police investigations revealed that Heyes had been using his home internet connection to access highly illegal material involving minors as young as one year old.
Authorities visited Heyes’s residence on Queen Street, Bridlington, in August of the previous year following intelligence that an IP address registered to his address had been used to view child exploitation images.
At the time, Heyes was already a registered sex offender, having served a 12-month prison sentence in November 2005 for making indecent images of children and inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.
Despite his criminal record, he insisted to officers that he did not own a computer, attempting to deny any involvement.
However, during the police search, officers uncovered a Toshiba laptop hidden beneath a sofa in his living room.
Mr.
Gordon, the prosecutor, stated, “He was heard to say, ‘I do not want to go back to prison,’ as he tried to conceal the device.” Alongside the laptop, authorities also seized a USB stick and a memory card, which contained a staggering number of illegal images.
Police found at least 509 images classified as Category A, the most severe, along with 498 Category B images and 770 Category C images.
Mr.
Gordon emphasized that these figures are likely underestimates due to resource limitations, noting, “There are thousands of images in his possession.” Kevin Heyes faced multiple charges, including three counts of making indecent images of children, spanning from January 2010 to August 2016.
During his initial police interview, he claimed that he had purchased the laptop second-hand from a Cash Converters store in Bridlington and admitted to viewing the illegal images.
When questioned about his repeated offending, Heyes reportedly said, “I did not think that I would get caught.” He also attempted to justify his actions by suggesting that the material he viewed was not “proper child porn,” claiming that “proper child porn involved adults and kids doing stuff.” However, the evidence presented against him was overwhelming, including a disturbing three-minute, nineteen-second video depicting children aged between one and three being sexually abused.
Confronted with this evidence, Heyes admitted during his second interview that he had purchased the laptop new from a store seven years prior and acknowledged responsibility for all the images, stating that he knew it was wrong.
He further revealed that he preferred pre-teen webcam material the most.
Judge Jack, presiding over the case, condemned Heyes’s lack of remorse and his apparent failure to learn from his previous incarceration.
He sentenced Heyes to two years in prison and ordered him to register as a sex offender for ten years.
Additionally, Heyes was subjected to a sexual harm prevention order, also lasting ten years, aimed at protecting the community from further harm.
The judge’s stern words underscored the gravity of the offense, emphasizing that the exploitation of children is a heinous crime that must be met with severe consequences.
