MALCOLM HAGUE FROM CRAVEN CAUGHT WITH CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN HIGH BENTHAM

In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community, Malcolm Hague, a 59-year-old resident of Mount Pleasant in Craven, has admitted to possessing and creating indecent images involving children. The investigation, part of the extensive worldwide Operation Ore, uncovered a troubling collection of 392 pornographic images of minors stored on Hague's computer systems.

These images were discovered during a police operation targeting individuals who accessed and downloaded illegal content via the internet. Operation Ore is a significant initiative aimed at tracing over 7,000 individuals suspected of paying to download child exploitation material, which was made accessible through an American-based online service.

Hague appeared before Skipton Magistrates' Court on a Friday to face charges related to his possession and creation of such material. He pleaded guilty to one count of possessing indecent images on November 22, 2002, and ten counts of producing similar images between February 26, 1997, and November 22, 2002. Prosecutor Mike Hammond explained that the ten counts of creating indecent images were selected by police as representative of the content of the entire collection, which included a total of 392 images.

According to the investigation, Hague had paid to access the illicit website on August 2, 1999. This led authorities to link him to the illegal material, prompting a search of his residence on November 22, during which police seized his computer equipment. During police interviews, Hague confirmed that the credit card details used to access the site belonged to him and admitted to downloading child pornography. However, he denied that he had paid specifically for the images, suggesting he was merely browsing or viewing the content.

The images were stored across multiple devices, including two external hard drives and six disks, all of which were seized by authorities. The images were classified using the Copine Scale, a system that rates the level of indecency from one to five, with five being the most severe. All images found on Hague’s devices fell within levels one to four, some depicting children engaged in sexual acts with adults or other minors.

Further investigation revealed that Hague had installed a device known as an evidence eliminator on one of his computers. This tool is designed to erase traces of illegal images from hard drives, making them difficult to detect or recover.

On May 30, Hague was interviewed again by police, during which he admitted to downloading the images. When questioned about his motives, Hague stated that he was 'fascinated' by the material and, in some cases, 'horrified' by what he had viewed. He also remarked that shocking images tend to attract certain individuals.

Following the investigation, on June 16, Hague was formally charged with all eleven offences related to the possession and production of indecent images involving children. The case has raised serious concerns within the Craven community about the presence of such disturbing material and the importance of ongoing efforts to combat child exploitation online.