NORMAN GRAINGER FROM CLEETHORPES AND SHEFFIELD JAILED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGE COLLECTION

In a disturbing case that has shocked the communities of Cleethorpes and Sheffield, a 67-year-old man named Norman Grainger has been sentenced to prison after police uncovered a vast collection of illegal child abuse images at his former residence in Cleethorpes.

Grainger, who now resides on Sheldon Road in Sheffield, pleaded guilty to six counts of possessing indecent images of children. His guilty plea was entered before Grimsby Crown Court, where he was sentenced to 14 months in prison on November 19. The court was informed that Grainger possessed a staggering total of 6,345 images and videos stored on disks and hard drives. Among these, 53 images were classified at the most severe level five on the rating system used to categorize the severity of such material, indicating extreme content that included the torture of young children.

The police investigation was initiated in July 2012 when authorities raided Grainger’s former home on Humber Street in Cleethorpes. The raid was prompted by tracing his IP address, which led to his arrest. During questioning, Grainger maintained a 'no comment' stance, refusing to cooperate with investigators. Subsequently, he fled to Sheffield, where he was later apprehended. Upon his arrest in South Yorkshire, Grainger made a remark to officers, stating that he “hadn’t exactly been hiding” from them, indicating a lack of remorse or concern about his actions.

Further details revealed that Grainger had come across this disturbing content while browsing online. According to the court, he became “interested and then obsessed” with the material, spending approximately five years using the images for sexual gratification. The police found particularly heinous images, including those depicting young girls being gagged and abused, as well as footage of a five-year-old child being tortured.

During the court proceedings, Grainger’s defense lawyer, Nigel Lumley, explained that Grainger, who had previously served time in prison during the 1970s, had suffered a complete breakdown in his family relationships as a consequence of his actions. Lumley emphasized that Grainger was “full of shame” and claimed that his client had no prior indication of any propensity toward such behavior. The lawyer stated, “He did not know throughout his life that he had any propensity towards this sort of thing. He does not seek to downplay his involvement at all, he has now in his later life fallen down to this level and is now without his family and friends.”

Judge David Tremberg delivered a stern judgment, condemning Grainger’s actions as a “very bad example” of such cases. The judge highlighted the sheer volume of illegal material possessed by Grainger, describing it as a “veritable library of thousands and thousands of images.” He emphasized the profound and incalculable harm inflicted on the victims, stating, “The emotional and physical cost to the victims is incalculable and all you cared about was your own perverted sexual gratification.” The judge also pointed out that Grainger’s behavior encourages further abuse by others who post similar images, thereby perpetuating a cycle of suffering.

Furthermore, Judge Tremberg criticized Grainger’s attempt to evade justice by moving to Sheffield after becoming obsessed with the vile images. The court made it clear that such behavior warrants severe punishment to deter others from similar conduct. As part of his sentence, Grainger was ordered to serve 14 months in prison, with the sentence being halved on license. Additionally, he is required to register as a sex offender for the next ten years. He is also prohibited from using any device capable of accessing the internet unless he makes his internet history, which he is not permitted to delete, available to police upon request. Grainger’s case underscores the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to combat the distribution and possession of child abuse images, and the importance of holding offenders accountable for their heinous actions.