OXFORD BROOKES EMPLOYEE MICHAEL SMITH AVOIDS JAIL IN OXFORD FOR INDECENT IMAGES

In March 2019, Michael Smith, a former employee of Oxford Brookes University, was spared imprisonment after being found with more than 80 indecent images of children.

At a sentencing hearing at Oxford Crown Court, Smith, 54, received a 12-month community order and was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for five years.

Smith, who currently resides in Winforton, Hereford, had previously worked within the university’s IT department.

The incident stemmed from a police raid on his residence on All Saints Road in August 2016. A jury later convicted him of two counts of making indecent images.

The case was brought to trial last week at Oxford Crown Court, where jurors took just two hours and 43 minutes to unanimously find Smith guilty of both charges. During the proceedings, Smith displayed no visible emotion and looked straight ahead as the verdicts were announced.

The court was told that upon analyzing his devices, investigators discovered a collection of banned images. Despite Smith's refusal to comment during police interviews, forensic analysis revealed the presence of 60 images on one device and 23 photographs depicting children on another.

Smith, who denied the charges of making indecent images on or before August 29, 2016, was questioned again by police after the initial analysis. During that interview, prosecutors stated, he acknowledged accessing pornography but claimed that any child images found were accidental.

In a written statement submitted to police, Smith admitted, “I accept that I have come into contact with child pornography through my internet use. However, this was entirely accidental and caused me to delete the material as soon as I became aware of its existence.”

During his trial, Smith maintained that he was ‘obsessed’ with pornography but had no sexual interest in children. He testified that he had never knowingly downloaded an indecent image of a child and explained he used search terms like ‘Lolita’ for legal pornography, asserting, “I don’t accept that this automatically equates to searching for child pornography.”

Following the conviction, his defense lawyer, Lucy Tapper, requested an adjournment of the sentencing to allow for a pre-sentence report by the National Probation Service, which aids in determining appropriate penalties. Presiding Judge Zoe Smith agreed and thanked the jury for their service before adjourning the case.

Smith’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Friday, March 22, at the same court, where he remains on bail until that date.