LAWRENCE WALKER ILKLEY MAN SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY DISCOVERED ON COMPUTER

In a case that has shocked the community of Ilkley, a 39-year-old man named Lawrence Walker has been subjected to a community order lasting three years after authorities uncovered a disturbing collection of 94 indecent images of children stored on his personal computer.

The incident came to light in early 2005 when Walker's former wife discovered the illicit images on his device. Despite the serious nature of the discovery, Walker admitted to possessing the images, which had been downloaded in 2003. The case was brought before Bradford Crown Court, where Walker's guilty plea was accepted, with the explanation that his dyslexia had played a significant role in his actions.

Prosecutor Peter Moulson explained that Walker's downloading activities took place over two years prior to his questioning, which only occurred in February 2006. The court was informed that Walker had not taken steps to delete the images after downloading them, raising concerns about his awareness and intent. However, his legal representative, Barrister Jeremy Lindsay, argued that Walker was using a file-sharing program at the time, during which approximately 200 lines of information appeared on his computer screen. Mr. Lindsay emphasized that due to Walker's dyslexia, he often struggled with reading and paying attention to the details, stating, "Because of his dyslexia he did not pay attention because as he put it he is frankly frightened of words."

While acknowledging that Walker had not removed the images from his system, the defense maintained there was no evidence to suggest any sexual motivation behind his actions. Furthermore, they pointed out that the images were not stored in any hidden or secret location on his computer, and there was no indication of similar material on any other devices he owned.

Judge John Taylor addressed the court, noting that such offenses typically warrant a custodial sentence. However, after considering the circumstances surrounding Walker's case and reviewing a pre-sentence report, he decided that a community order with supervision was appropriate. As part of his sentence, Walker is required to sign the sex offenders' register for the next five years and will also be mandated to participate in an internet sexual offending program, aimed at addressing his behavior and preventing future offenses.