KEVIN LEGG FROM BOURNEMOUTH JAILED FOR POSSESSING AND DISTRIBUTING CHILD INDECENT IMAGES

In November 2004, a man from Bournemouth was sentenced to prison after being found guilty of possessing and distributing a significant number of indecent images of children. Kevin Legg, aged 30 and unemployed at the time, was handed a two-year jail term at Bournemouth Crown Court. The presiding judge, Roger Jarvis, emphasized the severity of Legg's actions, stating that he was actively contributing to the ongoing harm inflicted upon vulnerable children.

Judge Jarvis expressed his disapproval of Legg’s conduct, highlighting the devastating impact on the victims. He remarked, "These children have been corrupted by unscrupulous adults and their distress is plain to see. The lives of these children have been ruined by their involvement in this sort of activity." The court heard that Legg had pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing indecent images of children and 14 counts of distributing such images.

Furthermore, the judge ordered that Legg remain on license for three years following his release from prison. He was also mandated to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years and was prohibited from working with children in any capacity.

The investigation into Legg’s activities was initiated after an engineer, hired to repair his home computer, discovered inappropriate images during a diagnostic test. The engineer reported the findings to the police, which led to a search of Legg’s residence on Kingswell Road in Bournemouth. During the search, authorities found a printout of an indecent image depicting a girl estimated to be between 13 and 14 years old.

Further examination of Legg’s computer revealed a total of 360 indecent images of children, with 23 classified in the second most severe category of abuse. Police also uncovered evidence that Legg had been sharing files with others via file-sharing networks. During police interviews, Legg claimed he had no memory of downloading the images and believed the children in the pictures were 16 years old, a statement that was met with skepticism by the court.

Legal representatives for Legg, including his defense lawyer Stephen Cotton, argued that Legg demonstrated a lack of empathy for the victims, which the court considered during sentencing. The case underscores the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to combat the distribution and possession of child abuse images, and the serious consequences faced by those found guilty of such offenses.