NIGEL AYRES CONVICTED IN TIVERTON FOR REPEATED OFFENSES INVOLVING CHILD SEXUAL IMAGES

In November 2017, Nigel Ayres, a former caregiver from Tiverton, found himself back in legal trouble after being discovered with illicit images depicting the sexual abuse of young boys. The police, during a routine investigation, seized a Samsung phone from Ayres' residence on Leat Street, Tiverton. The device contained multiple images classified under various categories, including three that were deemed to be of the most severe nature, known as Category A, which depicted serious child abuse. Additionally, there were five images categorized as B and C, indicating less severe but still illegal content.

Ayres, aged 51, was initially under suspicion for historic abuse allegations, which led to his arrest. However, he was later cleared of those previous charges. Despite this, the discovery of the images on his phone prompted further legal action. Ayres claimed that the images were remnants from a prior incident in 2012, referencing a previous conviction for possessing indecent images. Yet, police investigations revealed that the Samsung phone in question was manufactured after the time he claimed to have downloaded the images, casting doubt on his explanation.

Following the evidence, Ayres faced new charges of making indecent images by downloading them from the internet. During his court appearance at Exeter Crown Court, he admitted to three counts related to the possession and creation of such images. The court heard that all the images had been downloaded in 2013, and there was no evidence of similar activity in the four years following that period.

Judge Geoffrey Mercer, QC, sentenced Ayres to nine months in prison, suspended for two years. The judge also mandated that Ayres attend an internet sex offenders' treatment program and ordered him to register as a sex offender for the next ten years. Furthermore, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order was issued, granting police the authority to monitor his internet activity for the same duration. The judge expressed that, under normal circumstances, the severity of the offense would warrant immediate imprisonment. However, given the timing of the downloads and the absence of recent similar activity, he opted for a suspended sentence.

In his remarks, Judge Mercer emphasized the ongoing concern regarding Ayres' sexual interest in children, stating, "Your continuing sexual interest in children is a real cause for concern to the court and I hope it is a real concern for you too. It has got to be sorted out."

Prosecutor Miss Caroline Bolt detailed that the images were found on a Samsung phone stored on top of a wardrobe in Ayres' home. The images included three of Category A, which depict serious child abuse, and five of lower categories B and C. These images all featured boys, consistent with the images found during Ayres' arrest in August 2010.

Defense lawyer Mr. Joss Ticehurst argued that the number of images was small and that they were all downloaded during a single incident in 2013. He requested the court to consider a probation report indicating that Ayres was suitable for a treatment program, as he was relatively open about his sexual interests. The court also noted that in September, Ayres was found not guilty of historic charges involving the rape and sexual abuse of a girl in the 1990s, highlighting the complexity of his case.