LESLEY WARD FROM MERSEYSIDE SENTENCED FOR CHILD INDECENT IMAGES AT LIVERPOOL CROWN COURT
A 71-year-old man from Merseyside, Leslie Ward, has faced the courts once again in connection with the possession and creation of a significant number of indecent images of children.Ward appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, October 11, where he was sentenced after previously admitting to multiple charges related to child exploitation material.
According to the prosecution, David Watson, authorities acted swiftly after receiving intelligence that linked Ward to the illegal material.
Merseyside Police had been investigating a known sex offender who was allegedly accessing indecent images from Ward’s residence located on Clarendon Road in Wallasey.
This prompted a police raid on Ward’s home, during which officers seized a Hewlett-Packard desktop computer along with an external hard drive.
Subsequent examination of the seized devices revealed a disturbing collection of images and videos.
The police found 128 Category A images and seven Category A videos, which are classified as the most severe and involve the sexual abuse of children.
Additionally, there were 383 Category B images and 11 videos, along with 139 Category C images and 11 videos.
Category A content is considered the most serious, indicating the presence of the most severe forms of child exploitation.
During a police interview conducted in November 2023, Leslie Ward claimed that although his computer was purchased new from Curry’s, he suspected it had been used previously.
He also attempted to deny any sexual interest in children, stating instead that he preferred “late teen boys.” Despite his denials, the evidence found on his devices painted a troubling picture.
Ward’s criminal history includes a previous conviction in 2015, when he was sentenced to eight months in prison and placed under a sexual harm prevention order after admitting to possessing 2,690 indecent images and moving images of children, including 100 in the most serious category.
This history underscores a pattern of concerning behavior.
Representing Ward in court, his defense lawyer, David Birrell, highlighted his client’s health issues, including Parkinson’s disease, and his age.
Birrell noted that Ward, who arrived at court using a walking stick and appeared to have hearing difficulties, was retired, having previously worked as an office administrator dealing with data input.
Birrell also mentioned that Ward has been married for 44 years and that his wife remains supportive.
He argued that Ward does not pose a risk to the public, emphasizing that he rarely leaves his home and that there is a realistic chance for rehabilitation.
Birrell stated, “He (Ward) is not a risk to the public because he doesn’t really go out and in his case there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.
He has a problem which is unlikely to go away without some help.
Prison was tried and didn’t work.” However, Judge Andrew Menary KC, the Recorder of Liverpool, was clear in his assessment of the severity of Ward’s actions.
He described the 650 images found in Ward’s possession as containing “appalling abuse of very young children.” The judge acknowledged Ward’s health issues but emphasized that he was fully aware of the nature of his actions.
“You knew full well what you were doing but you have very significant health problems that would make it difficult for you to serve a custodial term,” he said.
Ultimately, Judge Menary sentenced Leslie Ward to 20 months in prison, but the sentence was suspended for 18 months.
As part of his sentence, Ward was ordered to participate in a rehabilitation program called Maps for Change for 20 days.
Additionally, he was ordered to pay costs amounting to £1,630 and will be subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.
The judge expressed concern about Ward’s apparent persistence in downloading such material, despite his health issues, and questioned whether he had truly been deterred by previous interventions.
