PAUL TAYLOR FROM WHITLEY WOOD SENTENCED AFTER CHILD INDECENCY IMAGES DISCOVERY

In a case that has shocked the local community of Whitley Wood, Paul Taylor, a 42-year-old IT professional, was found guilty of possessing and creating indecent images of children. The conviction followed a comprehensive nine-day trial at Reading Crown Court, where a jury unanimously agreed on his guilt on three counts related to the possession of 74 such images.

Judge Nick Wood presided over the sentencing, which resulted in Taylor receiving a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. Additionally, Taylor was ordered to register as a sex offender for a period of five years. The court emphasized the severity of his actions, highlighting the disturbing nature of his alleged sexual interests in underage girls.

The case against Taylor was built on evidence collected from a police raid conducted on December 17, 2009, at his residence in Farmers Close, Whitley Wood. During the raid, authorities seized a laptop, a home computer, and a mobile phone. However, analysis of these devices was delayed due to issues with security software, specifically a wrong password being provided, which hindered immediate access to the data.

The forensic examination revealed that Taylor’s laptop contained 69 indecent images stored in a temporary file on the C Drive, created just the night before the raid. Additional images were found in 'lost files' and on the Z drive, totaling three and two images respectively. Internet history analysis uncovered that Taylor had visited various websites, including chat sites frequented by teenagers, sites containing child abuse images, and his work-related webmail account. Evidence also showed that he engaged in online conversations with a 15-year-old girl via MSN Messenger, using the email address [email protected]. During these chats, he asked her if she was “wearing anything nice this evening?” and requested a photograph of her.

Further investigation uncovered videos depicting girls as young as ten years old on Taylor’s home computer, raising serious concerns about his conduct. Taylor maintained that someone must have remotely accessed his work laptop, asserting that he had purchased his home computer from eBay and that the images could have been downloaded by the previous owner. When questioned about his alleged interest in underage girls, he responded through his barrister, Dee Connolly, stating, “I find it quite repulsive to be honest.”

In delivering his sentence, Judge Wood remarked on the impact of the conviction on Taylor’s personal life, noting that he had lost his good character and would now have to face his wife and son. The judge expressed hope that his family would support him through this difficult time. No order was made for costs, as Taylor was burdened with significant debt and faced the loss of his employment due to the conviction. The judge emphasized that Taylor’s actions had led to the loss of his career and respect, describing the offenses as entirely out of character.

As part of the court’s ruling, Taylor was placed on the sex offenders register. He was instructed not to have any unsupervised contact with girls under 16 unless accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other responsible adult, except in cases of inadvertent contact. Furthermore, he was prohibited from accessing the internet on any device unless it was equipped with approved risk management software installed by the Public Protection Unit. He was also ordered not to interfere with any such software or hardware installations. These measures aim to prevent any further misconduct and ensure public safety.