MARK BILLING TEACHER FROM NEWTON JAILED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY DOWNLOADS

In October 2007, Mark Billing, a teacher working with children in Newton, was convicted for downloading child pornography. Billing, who taught at Redbank Community Home, claimed that he was working with boys who had committed sexual attacks or had been abused, and that they would discuss Internet websites related to these issues. He stated, "As I had not encountered the subject before and couldn't get my head round it," he decided to browse online to understand the matters affecting his students. However, the prosecution did not accept that his motivation was curiosity rather than sexual gratification.

Police confiscated two computer towers and five CDs from Billing's home in Birkenhead, finding 1,209 indecent images, including both stills and videos, that he had downloaded, according to prosecutor Geoffrey Fryar. Last Friday, Liverpool Crown Court heard that Billing, aged 44, was arrested in February 2005 during Operation Sirdar by Merseyside Police.

An investigation into 21 websites revealed that the host company was based in Belarus, with payments routed through the United States. Billing was found to have subscribed to one of these sites. The images discovered at his residence on Wharfedale Avenue were mainly classified in the lowest category, though some fell into more severe categories, Mr. Fryar explained.

In his plea, Billing admitted he had become obsessed with the material and expressed remorse for his actions. Despite his claims that his actions stemmed from curiosity, the court did not accept this explanation. Judge William George sentenced him to six months in prison, emphasizing the severity of the crimes, which he called "a matter of great public concern."

The judge stated, "You had a lot going for you in the teaching profession, but you have this grave flaw that while teaching, you were committing these very serious offences involving the exploitation of children." As part of his sentence, Billing was permanently barred from working with children, ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for seven years, and issued a Sexual Offences Prevention Order. The order prevents him from using the Internet except for educational or travel purposes.

Now residing on Green Lane, Great Sutton, Billing pleaded guilty to 11 counts of making indecent images. His defense solicitor, Lee Gerrard, explained that Billing, at the time, was unaware that his behavior was criminal, which had cost him his career, his marriage, and his relationship with his children. Gerrard added that Billing had suffered a heart attack and was on medication for angina. Currently, he works as an HGV driver, with his new partner and her mother providing support. Both were present in court during sentencing.