MARK GARBUTT FROM WORKINGTON CAUGHT IN CHILD SEX CHAT AND POSSESSING CHILD ABUSE IMAGES
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Workington, Mark Garbutt, a 55-year-old former lorry driver, was caught engaging in online conversations that revealed disturbing sexual interests towards children.The incident came to light during a police sting operation that lasted for a month in early 2021, during which undercover officers engaged in chat exchanges with Garbutt through a messaging application.
During these exchanges, Garbutt sent explicit images depicting a young girl, which prompted serious concern from law enforcement authorities.
Judge Nicholas Barker, presiding over Carlisle Crown Court, highlighted the gravity of the case, stating, “Within the dialogue that passed between you and one of the undercover officers, you disclosed sexual perversions towards the child.
Both in terms of what you wanted to do, and encouragement to the other person of what that person would do.
This is deeply offensive and deeply perverted.” Following the investigation, police executed a warrant at Garbutt’s residence and seized nine electronic devices.
Analysis of these devices uncovered a disturbing collection of illegal images of children, with four devices containing such material.
Among the images were still photographs and videos, with one video lasting approximately five minutes.
Prosecutor Beth Pilling revealed that the youngest children depicted in the images ranged from just two to four years old, emphasizing the heinous nature of the material.
Garbutt, who previously resided on Railbank Drive in Workington, admitted to possessing four indecent photographs classified as Category A — the most severe category — along with 11 images in Category B and 336 in Category C.
He also confessed to distributing one image classified as Category C.
Some of these images had been stored on his devices since 2005, indicating a long-standing collection of illegal material.
In court, Garbutt faced serious charges, and the prosecution detailed the extent of his offenses.
The court heard that he had been involved in the possession and distribution of child abuse images, with the evidence pointing to a deeply disturbing pattern of behavior.
Judge Barker sentenced Garbutt to nine months in prison, but the sentence was suspended for two years.
As part of his sentence, Garbutt is required to complete a rehabilitation program and perform 150 hours of unpaid community work.
Additionally, he is mandated to register as a sex offender and adhere to a strict 10-year prevention order, which aims to restrict his contact with minors and prevent further offenses.
In a related case in May 2022, Garbutt was also found guilty of possessing hundreds of child abuse images.
During that hearing at Carlisle Crown Court, he admitted to possessing four Category A images, 11 Category B images, and 336 Category C images.
He also pleaded guilty to distributing two Category C images.
The court granted him bail until his sentencing scheduled for June 30, with the condition that he has no unsupervised contact with any children.
The duration of his inclusion on the Sex Offender Register will depend on the length and severity of his sentence, which remains to be determined.
