March 2022 Sex offender who filmed himself committing a sex act on a dog and sent the video to a friend on WhatsApp walks free from court A pervert who filmed himself committing a sex act on a dog and sent the video to a friend on WhatApp has walked free from court. Neil Gareth Bird, 45, of Acomb also filmed himself having sex with a teenager, searched online for extreme porn and downloaded indecent images of children Andrew Finlay, prosecuting, said that once Bird had engaged in the sexual act with the defenceless pup, he sent the footage onto someone he knew through Whatsapp. Bird, from York, who was working at the Bird of Prey centre near York pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing extreme pornography and four counts of having indecent images of children. In total, he was found to have 38 extreme images and five indecent images featuring children aged seven to 10, as well as the video of the teenager Mr Finlay said the teenager and Bird had met on an internet dating website and the boy had lied about his age. He had initially claimed he was 18 when he was younger and had later given his true age. The pair had met physically and had consensual sex. Police had then found a film of the two of them engaging in sex when they searched Bird’s tablet and mobile phone. Bird was given a 20-month prison sentence suspended for two years on the condition that he completed 20 days’ rehabilitative activities. Deputy circuit judge Tim Clayson declined a prosecution application for Bird to be subject to a sexual harm prevention order enabling police to monitor his use of the internet. He said he didn’t think it would be appropriate and the rehabilitative activities would help stop Bird commit more sexual offences. The defence said the case had cost Bird his security clearance and it was very unlikely he would be able to work in the same area in future. But he had kept his job because his employer had been able to find him alternative work.