PAUL BACON FROM BELPER CAUGHT WITH SICKENING IMAGES OF CHILDREN

In July 2019, a disturbing case emerged involving Paul Bacon, a resident of Belper, who was found to possess a horrifying collection of indecent images depicting young girls as young as five years old. The severity of the material was so graphic that court proceedings refrained from detailing the explicit content, but the facts of the case paint a disturbing picture of Bacon's actions.

It was revealed during the court hearing that Bacon, aged 35, had stored a total of 199 indecent images along with two videos across two separate hard drives. These images were classified into different categories based on their severity, with some being of the most serious nature. The images and videos were recovered after police executed a search warrant at his residence in Belper, specifically on John O’Gaunt’s Way, a location notably close to the Holbrook School for Autism, which is a school for autistic children.

During the court proceedings, the prosecutor, Abigail Hill, detailed the events leading to Bacon’s arrest. On September 18 of the previous year, at approximately 6:20 am, police officers responded to a tip-off and attended Bacon’s address following reports that his internet activity involved accessing indecent images of children. The authorities seized seven devices from the property, among which was a black tower computer that contained the illicit material stored on two hard drives.

Upon analysis, the police discovered 30 images classified as Category A, the most severe category, along with one video. Additionally, there were 50 images and one video categorized as Category B, and 117 images falling into Category C. The victims depicted in these images ranged in age from as young as five years old. Despite the images having been deleted by Bacon prior to the police investigation, forensic recovery software was able to retrieve the material from the hard drives, confirming his possession of these illegal images.

Further investigation revealed that Bacon had actively searched for and viewed material of an indecent nature, using search terms such as ‘pre-teen lolita,’ indicating a deliberate intent to access such content. This behavior underscored the seriousness of his actions and the risk posed to children.

In court, Bacon pleaded guilty to charges of possessing indecent images across all three categories. He was subsequently transferred to Derby Crown Court for sentencing. The judge, Shaun Smith, imposed a two-year community order on Bacon, which included 200 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation activities. Additionally, Bacon was prohibited from working with children in any capacity and was ordered to register as a sex offender.

Judge Smith commented on the case, noting that although the number of images was not particularly high given the time span, the case was aggravated by the young age of the victims and Bacon’s attempts to dispose of the evidence. He emphasized that Bacon was not considered dangerous but acknowledged the seriousness of his actions. To further prevent any future offenses, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order was issued, requiring close monitoring of Bacon’s internet activity and use of devices capable of connecting to the internet by law enforcement authorities.