MOLD CHEMISTRY DOCTOR MICHAEL JAMES LOWENS ADMITTED TO VIEWING CHILD INDECENT IMAGES IN MOLD

Michael James Lowens, a resident of Mold and a professional in the field of chemistry, has been formally placed on the sex offenders' register following his admission to possessing and viewing indecent images of children. The case was heard at Mold Magistrates Court, where it was disclosed that Lowens, who lives alone in a flat on Mold High Street, had on his personal computer a total of 30 images depicting children under the age of 12 in explicit and indecent scenarios.

These disturbing images came to light after police conducted a search of Lowens' property. The search was initially related to an unrelated investigation involving firearms, which is currently scheduled to be addressed in the crown court. During the search, authorities discovered the illicit images stored on his computer, leading to his subsequent charges.

Lowens pleaded guilty to a specific charge that covered the period from January 1 to March 1 of the same year. The charge detailed that he had made 30 indecent images of children, which were classified as the least serious level of such material. In addition to these images, four computer-generated images that depicted child abuse in a non-sexual context were also found on his device. The investigation revealed that the images had been downloaded using 'bit torrent' software, a peer-to-peer file sharing platform. This method of downloading meant that when Lowens was online, his files were accessible to others for download, which was considered an aggravating factor in the case.

During the court hearing, Lowens' defense lawyer, Bethan Jones, argued that the images in question were of the lowest possible severity. She emphasized that the children depicted were fully clothed and posed without engaging in any sexual acts, describing the images as 'nothing more sinister than that.' Jones also pointed out that Lowens had not distributed the images to others, but she acknowledged that due to the nature of the 'bit torrent' software, the files could have been accessible for others to download.

Lowens admitted that his interest in such material was driven by curiosity and confirmed that he had saved some images onto his computer. In response to his actions, the magistrates imposed a 12-month community order and mandated that he participate in a sex offender group work program, aiming to address his behavior and prevent future offenses.