MICHAEL DAINTY REOFFENDS IN LIVERPOOL AFTER RELAPSING INTO INDECENT IMAGE VIEWING
In February 2019, Michael Dainty, a convicted sex offender from Liverpool, re-engaged in illegal online activity by viewing indecent images of children, including explicit material from Russian websites.Last June, police visited Dainty at his West Derby home to investigate his potential ongoing online offenses.
Upon their arrival, he impulsively stated, "I'm trying not to, there may be a naked child [photo]," revealing his awareness of his illicit activity.
Prosecutor Paul Blasbery explained that an analysis of Dainty’s internet history uncovered one image in Category 1 (featuring minors aged 13-16), one in Category B, and 267 in Category C, which depicted children between five and eight years old.
Dainty, residing on Rockwell Road, was interviewed by officers and pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children during a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court.
He told authorities he accessed the internet at night when feeling "lonely and down." This was not Dainty’s first offense; he has six prior convictions totaling eleven offenses, including a 2015 child sex crime that involved possessing 365,485 indecent images, 250 of which were in the most serious Category A.
He was already subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which was updated on the day of sentencing to extend for ten years.
The court was informed that Dainty’s online activity did not involve grooming websites.
Defense lawyer John Rowan acknowledged the severity of his client’s actions, stating, "This defendant is under no illusions as to the very serious view this court will take of that behaviour." He added that Dainty cooperated with police by voluntarily surrendering his devices and admitted, "I've been trying to stop." Rowan explained that Dainty had been living alone in a council house, working on construction sites and earning a decent income.
However, after losing his job, he fell into financial hardship, missing utility payments, and slipping into depression, which led him to relapse into viewing these images.
The lawyer emphasized that Dainty regrets his actions and is motivated to change, stating, "He’s now working multiple days a week and making significant progress, feeling much better about himself." Judge William Davis sentenced Dainty to eight months in prison and imposed a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
This order prohibits him from possessing any device capable of internet access, prevents him from deleting internet history or using software to conceal activity, and requires him to allow police access to his online activity at any time.
Dainty is also barred from using cloud storage for images.
In conclusion, Judge Davis remarked, "You have been given an opportunity and you have failed to take it," underscoring the court’s disappointment in his failure to reform.
