GLOUCESTER MAN MARK O’NEILL FOUND WITH 143 INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN

In May 2010, a man from Gloucester was convicted after police found him in possession of 143 indecent images of children on his home computer.

Mark O’Neill, 45, of Brunswick Square, Gloucester, was found to have entered search terms such as 'naked boys' into his web browser and left numerous indecent images stored on his computer. He faced eight charges relating to the possession of these illicit images.

The court heard that police had visited O’Neill on July 22 of the previous year during a routine check related to a previously issued order. This order was a result of O’Neill’s 2001 conviction for indecent assault against boys under 14. Julian Kesner, prosecuting, explained that O’Neill had been sentenced to four years in prison at that time and was subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, as well as being required to register as a sex offender.

During the police visit, O’Neill reportedly admitted to having a sexual interest in boys aged 13 and 14. He also showed officers his computer, which confirmed that he had browsed indecent images on the internet.

The court was told that O’Neill had been "extremely candid with the police from the start" and had made full admissions when interviewed.

Judge Martin Picton sentenced O’Neill to a community order with 18 months of supervised probation, required him to register on the sex offenders register, and amended the existing Sexual Offences Prevention Order. Additionally, the court ordered the deletion and destruction of the computers involved.

In sentencing, Judge Picton stated: "I’m doing what I’m doing not because I don’t regard this as serious – it is serious. But you also recognised the wrong that you were doing and you brought it to the attention of the police when you could have got away with it if you had not told them."