COUNTY DURHAM MAN AVOIDS PRISON AFTER DOWNLOADING INDECENT IMAGES OF BOYS
A man, who as a teenager sought out indecent images of boys from the internet, has been given a community order, “as a direct alternative to prison”.
Marc Peacock, now 22, was at risk of being jailed after admitting three counts of making (downloading) indecent images of children, one each in all three categories of severity, when he appeared before magistrates last month.
The case was sent to Durham Crown Court for sentence, with a Probation Service report prepared for the hearing to look into the defendant’s background.
Police, armed with a search warrant, attended Peacock’s home in Shotton Colliery at 7.30am on April 6, 2022.
Extensive CCTV footage indicated evidence was at risk of being wiped, prompting officers to force entry.
A mobile phone was seized from his bedroom and later confirmed to have been used recently, containing 122 offending images of boys aged between 8 and 15, including 65 considered to be in the most serious bracket and 23 in video form.
Officers noted that the images involved discernible pain and distress of some victims, and they had been downloaded over a period from November 16, 2019, until the date of arrest.
The images were stored in a secure folder, which was seen as an aggravating feature.
Peacock's legal representation highlighted his age and good character, noting there had been no offences since April 2022 and that he was remorseful.
Judge Richard Bennett, acknowledging these points, decided not to impose immediate custody but ordered a two-year community order, including 100 hours of unpaid work, outpatient rehabilitation, costs, and a court surcharge.
Peacock will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and will need to register as a sex offender for five years.
The judge cautioned that failure to comply could lead to more serious consequences.
This is a probabilistic continent or country-group signal from public name datasets. It is not proof of nationality, ethnicity or personal background.
Likely region signal
UK
Country
from United Kingdom
- based on surname
57.3%
confidence
First-name region
Europe
France
32.3%
Surname region
UK
United Kingdom
57.3%
Court Outcome
Conviction and Sentencing Details
Sentenced
Detected legal outcome
, has been given a community order, "as a direct alternative to prison". Marc Peacock, now 22, was at risk of being jailed after admitting three counts of making (downloading) indecent images of children, one each in all three categories...
Community order
A man, who as a teenager sought out indecent images of boys from the internet, has been given a community order, "as a direct alternative to prison"
Community order
100 hours
Judge Richard Bennett, acknowledging these points, decided not to impose immediate custody but ordered a two-year community order, including 100 hours of unpaid work, outpatient rehabilitation, costs, and a court surcharge
Sex Offenders Register
five years
Peacock will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and will need to register as a sex offender for five years
Court order
five years
Peacock will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and will need to register as a sex offender for five years
