DALTON MAN LESLIE EVITTS SENTENCED AFTER DISCOVERY OF NEARLY 800 CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN DONCASTER

In a case that has shocked the local community of Dalton, Leslie Evitts, a 36-year-old man residing on Doncaster Road, has been handed a community order after authorities uncovered a disturbing collection of indecent images involving children on his electronic devices. The investigation revealed that Evitts possessed nearly 800 child abuse images, some depicting very young girls as young as two years old, alongside thousands of computer-generated images and extreme pornography involving children and animals.

On June 27, 2017, police officers acting on intelligence visited Evitts’ home in Dalton. During the visit, they discovered that someone at his address had been accessing and viewing indecent images of children. The authorities later traced the activity back to Evitts, who was working in Doncaster at the time of his arrest. The police seized four devices from his residence, including three computers, which became the focus of a lengthy forensic investigation.

It took approximately thirteen months for the devices to be analyzed thoroughly. When the results were finally available, they revealed a disturbing collection of images: 191 classified as Category A, representing the most extreme and illegal content, 123 in Category B, and 467 in Category C. Among the most disturbing findings were images of very young girls being abused—some aged between three and six, and others between two and five years old. These images caused significant concern among investigators and the court.

In addition to the indecent images, police found over 4,000 prohibited images, most of which were computer-generated, designed to simulate child abuse. The devices also contained two extreme pornographic images involving children and animals, further highlighting the severity of the material stored on Evitts’ devices.

When questioned after his arrest, Evitts claimed that he had viewed the images but insisted he had not actively searched for them. However, forensic analysis confirmed that there had been searches related to children on his devices. Evitts admitted to investigators that he had searched for such images and that he found himself sexually aroused by viewing them.

He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court to multiple charges, including making indecent photographs of children, possessing prohibited images, and possessing extreme pornography. The case was subsequently brought before Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing.

Judge Rachael Harrison delivered her verdict, imposing a two-year community order on Evitts. The order includes a requirement to participate in a 40-day rehabilitation program and complete 100 hours of unpaid work. Additionally, Evitts was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years and was issued a five-year sexual harm prevention order. Under the terms of this order, he is prohibited from using any device capable of accessing the internet unless it is made available to police officers. He is also forbidden from deleting his internet history or attempting to conceal it through incognito browsing or other means.

In her sentencing remarks, Judge Harrison acknowledged that Evitts had undergone some counseling and was beginning to understand the gravity of his actions. She emphasized that the children depicted in the images were being abused just as if Evitts had directly harmed them. The judge also expressed disappointment over the delays in examining his devices, which she described as unacceptable. Despite the seriousness of the offenses, she noted that Evitts had no previous convictions and that the number of images was not large in comparison to other cases. Based on these factors and the efforts he had made to seek counseling, she decided against imposing a custodial sentence, opting instead for the community order.