KEVIN MCGAHERN FROM DEAL ARRESTED IN CHILD PORNOGRAPHY SCANDAL IN CANTERBURY

In April 2006, a serious criminal case unfolded involving Kevin McGahern, a 33-year-old resident of Middle Street, Deal, who was apprehended after a routine computer repair led to the discovery of illegal child pornography files.

The incident came to light when the computer, sent for repair, was examined, revealing a disturbing collection of indecent images of children. Authorities were promptly alerted once it was identified that some of the files contained explicit material involving minors, prompting a police investigation.

Kevin McGahern was subsequently arrested by law enforcement officers and brought before Canterbury Crown Court to face multiple charges. The court heard that McGahern admitted to a total of 19 charges, which included 17 counts of creating indecent images of children, one charge of possessing such an image, and another of distributing these images over the internet. The period during which these offences occurred spanned from February 1, 2004, to April 12 of the previous year.

Prosecutor Catherine Donnolly provided details about the nature of the images found on McGahern’s devices. A total of 389 images were recovered, categorized into different levels based on their severity. Of these, 271 images were classified as level one, 37 as level two, 44 as level three, 33 as level four, and two as level five. Additionally, McGahern was found to have distributed 356 images via email, covering levels one through four, which indicates a significant dissemination of illegal material.

During the court proceedings, Caroline Knight, representing McGahern, argued that her client appeared to have inadvertently fallen into these offences without fully understanding the gravity of his actions at the time. She emphasized that McGahern now recognizes that such images are the result of actual abuse and expressed that his remorse is genuine. Knight suggested that McGahern’s involvement was not premeditated and that he had not previously considered the implications of possessing or sharing such material.

The judge, Timothy Nash, delivered a stern sentence, acknowledging that while a custodial sentence might have been justified given the nature of the offences, McGahern would not receive any form of rehabilitation or help upon release. The judge condemned the conduct, stating that it was entirely unacceptable because it involved the sexual exploitation of children for the gratification of others.

As part of his sentence, McGahern was banned indefinitely from working with children and was placed on the sex offenders register for a period of five years. Furthermore, he was subject to a sexual offences prevention order, which prohibits him from accessing computers or machinery capable of downloading material unless it is for legitimate employment purposes, also for five years.

This case highlights the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to combat the distribution and possession of child exploitation material, and the serious consequences faced by those found guilty of such heinous crimes in the Deal area and beyond.