PORTSMOUTH PAEDOPHILE KIERAN MELLISH SPARED JAIL AFTER BREACHING SUSPENDED SENTENCE AND POSSESSING INDECENT IMAGES
In a disturbing case that highlights ongoing concerns about child exploitation and the failure of the justice system to adequately punish repeat offenders, Kieran Mellish, a resident of Portsmouth, was found to have committed serious offences involving minors despite previous convictions and court orders.The incident came to light when police officers executed a search warrant at Mellish’s home in Portsmouth on May 21 of the previous year.
During the raid, law enforcement officials uncovered nine Category C ‘selfie’ images depicting a topless girl on Mellish’s mobile phone.
The images were accompanied by online conversations in which Mellish had been engaging with the girl, raising serious concerns about his ongoing predatory behavior.
This discovery revealed that Mellish, aged 24 and residing on Hillsley Road in Portsmouth, was in clear breach of a suspended sentence imposed in January 2020.
That earlier sentence was a result of Mellish’s involvement in sexual communication with a 13-year-old girl, which included him sending her videos of himself performing sexual acts.
The court had previously handed Mellish a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, along with a sexual harm prevention order, in recognition of his prior misconduct.
Prosecutor Matthew Lawson detailed the nature of Mellish’s previous offences, stating: “He contacted the girl on Facebook, engaging in sexual communication, during which he sent videos of himself.
He was asking her to call him ‘daddy,’ and he referred to her as ‘daughter.’” Despite the court’s efforts to restrict Mellish’s access to minors and his online activity, he quickly resumed his inappropriate behavior.
The court heard that Mellish engaged in sexualized conversations with the girl and, alarmingly, solicited topless images from her just five months after his initial sentence.
The girl, who was between 16 and 17 years old at the time, was unaware of Mellish’s previous convictions and felt shame and embarrassment about her actions.
Lawyer for the prosecution, Mr.
Lawson, emphasized that Mellish was fully aware of the legal restrictions placed upon him, stating: “He was aware of the restrictions from his previous sentence.
He agreed it was illegal for him to possess images of a girl under 18.
The girl herself made the images and sent them to him.” Judge Timothy Mousley QC addressed Mellish directly, condemning his actions: “You took advantage of a girl who was 16 or 17 at the time and blatantly breached your notification requirements.
The impact on her has been significant—she remains embarrassed and ashamed.” While acknowledging that Mellish had participated in a rehabilitation course and had engaged well with probation services, the judge expressed concern that more work was necessary to ensure his rehabilitation.
He stated: “There is clear evidence that you can be rehabilitated in the community rather than in prison.” Ultimately, Mellish, who admitted to making indecent images of a child and breaching his notification requirements, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for 18 months.
Additionally, he was fined £100 and ordered to complete the ‘new me MoT course.’ The court also imposed notification requirements on Mellish for the next ten years, emphasizing the importance of ongoing monitoring and intervention to prevent further offending.
