KRIS HARDMAN FROM ROYTON JAILED OVER 3 MILLION INDECENT IMAGES INCLUDING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

In a case that has shocked the community of Royton, Manchester, Kris Hardman, a 37-year-old man, has been sentenced to ten months in prison after being found in possession of an astonishing three million indecent images, some of which involved children. The court heard that the sheer volume of images stored on Hardman’s computer was so vast that law enforcement officers could only examine a small fraction of them during their investigation.

Judge Peter Laking, presiding over the case at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court, emphasized the severity of the offense. He stated, “On any view, you had a huge number of such images. For the protection of the public, and particularly children, the courts must make clear that offences of this type cannot and will not be tolerated. For every indecent image and for every indecent video of a child, there will be a child victim. Day in and day out, children are sexually abused to feed this market of indecent images for people like you.”

Prosecutor Lisa Boocock revealed that police had executed a warrant at Hardman’s residence on Middleton Road, Royton, on November 24, 2010. The operation was initiated following intelligence suggesting that Hardman had accessed extreme pornography online. Upon confrontation, Hardman did not deny his actions and admitted to police that he spent up to five hours daily viewing such disturbing material.

The court was informed that the volume of images was so extensive that approximately 2.8 million could not be viewed or examined. Of those that were scrutinized, over 61,000 were still or moving images classified at the lowest level of severity, with a small number at higher levels of depravity—65 images at level two, 76 at level three, 77 at level four, and 56 at the most severe level five. The content ranged from photographs of young females in provocative poses to images depicting girls aged between 11 and 13 engaged in sexual acts with males. There were also disturbing pictures involving bondage of girls as young as ten years old.

Additionally, authorities discovered 231 images categorized as extreme pornography, including graphic depictions involving women and animals. The severity of the material was clear, and the evidence presented a disturbing picture of the extent of Hardman’s involvement in the possession of such illicit content.

Defense lawyer Mark Fireman argued that Hardman had been honest with police when questioned. He explained that his client admitted to deriving sexual gratification from viewing these images, which he claimed was a substitute for real-life relationships. Fireman remarked, “It appears that people can become immune to pornography, and start looking for more and more extreme images to feed their addiction.” He also highlighted that Hardman had expressed remorse and showed a willingness to seek help for his addiction.

Hardman pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including 16 counts of making indecent images, five counts of possessing indecent images, and six counts of possessing extreme pornographic images. The court ordered that he serve half of his ten-month sentence in custody, with the remaining period on license. Furthermore, he was disqualified from working with children indefinitely and will be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for ten years, reflecting the seriousness of his offenses and the potential risk posed to the community.