NICHOLAS MORGAN FROM NEWTON ABBOT ESCAPES PRISON DESPITE CHILD INDECENT IMAGE CHARGES
In a case heard at Exeter Crown Court, Nicholas Morgan, a 52-year-old resident of Rundle Road in Newton Abbot, was spared from imprisonment after being found guilty of possessing and creating indecent images of children.The court was informed that Morgan had accumulated a total of 242 images on his personal computer, which led to his charges.
Despite the serious nature of the offences, the judge decided that a custodial sentence would be unnecessary, citing Morgan's previous good character and the fact that these offences ranked lower on the scale of seriousness.
Morgan pleaded guilty to five counts of making indecent photographs of children and two counts of possessing such images.
The case was initiated after Morgan’s mother-in-law became suspicious upon discovering inappropriate content on his computer.
She found evidence of indecent sites and immediately contacted law enforcement authorities.
Prosecutor Alistair Verheijen explained that Morgan initially denied any knowledge of the sites and offered to allow police to examine his computer.
However, subsequent investigation revealed that the hard drive contained searches indicating Morgan had actively looked for child sex sites.
Some images had been deleted, but the evidence was sufficient to establish his involvement.
The images found ranged from level one to level three, with level five being the most severe in terms of content.
The court was also told that Morgan’s actions were not isolated, and the images displayed varying degrees of indecency.
During mitigation, defence lawyer Rupert Taylor highlighted Morgan’s employment history and presented three character references to the court, emphasizing his otherwise good reputation.
The judge ordered Morgan to participate in a sexual offenders treatment programme and imposed a financial penalty of £1,000 in costs.
The decision reflects the court’s consideration of Morgan’s character and the circumstances surrounding the offences, ultimately opting for a sentence that avoids imprisonment.
