WALSALL TEENAGER NICHOLAS WILDE JAILED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN 2010
In February 2010, Nicholas Wilde, a 19-year-old from Walsall, was sentenced to prison after being linked to a serious online child abuse investigation.Wilde was arrested on June 11 of the previous year following an incident in which he exchanged child sexual abuse images with a 16-year-old girl he contacted through an internet chat room.
The girl and her mother alerted the police, leading to Wilde's quick detection and subsequent arrest by officers from West Midlands Police's child exploitation unit.
During the investigation, officers seized a computer and a memory stick from Wilde’s bedroom.
These items contained a disturbing collection of photographs, including some involving children as young as 18 months old, representing the most severe level of child pornography.
The authorities also discovered footage on the memory stick showing a woman in Maine abusing a young child.
Court reports stated that Wilde directed the abuse while watching via webcam.
Judge Hilary Watson, presiding over Wolverhampton Crown Court, sentenced Wilde to four years and eight months in prison.
Addressing the case, the judge stated: “It was entirely for your benefit, at your direction, for the sexual gratification of Nicholas Wilde.” The court heard that pre-sentence reports described Wilde’s behavior as “dysfunctional,” with a “callous disregard” for victims of sexual abuse.
Wilde, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, had a deep obsession with downloading child pornography, which had led to an escalation in his offending behavior in the months before his arrest.
Judge Watson emphasized that Wilde’s collection of images was stored on a memory stick, making it easily accessible and highlighting his preoccupation and obsession.
She commented, “You downloaded the material onto a memory stick which made it easy for you to access that material and I am satisfied that it had become a preoccupation, an obsession with you, and that is why over that period of time you had that burst of offending.” Wilde, residing on Holmbridge Grove in Shelfield, pleaded guilty to charges of making and distributing indecent photographs, as well as inciting two incidents of sexual assault on a child under 13.
The judge expressed concern over Wilde’s youth, remarking, “You have your whole life ahead of you and the potential to reoffend is very great.” Wilde will serve his sentence at a Young Offenders Institution, with his license extended by an additional three years, and is required to register as a sex offender.
Furthermore, he is permanently banned from working with children.
