CRAWLEY YOUTH WORKER JAILED FOR PUBLISHING EXPLICIT IMAGES OF CHILDREN

A volunteer youth worker from Crawley has been found guilty of publishing hundreds of indecent images of children on social media platforms. Perry Cornish, aged 23 and residing at Dower Walk, was involved in posting explicit content from his home and a youth centre located in West Sussex. His offending was uncovered after a report from social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in December 2021 and January 2022. Following his arrest, police seized multiple electronic devices, which analysis revealed contained images of children aged between four and 17 years old. Cornish was charged with making 86 Category A indecent images, 56 Category B, and 21 Category C, as well as distributing Category A and C images. The case progressed, and during the judicial process, police received further reports in April 2024, revealing that Cornish had attempted to engage with underage users via an online platform, believing they were under 16 but were in fact undercover officers. He was charged with additional offences including attempting to communicate with minors under 16 and 13 and making numerous indecent images across categories. Cornish pleaded guilty to all charges due to overwhelming evidence. On September 30 at Lewes Crown Court, he received a sentence of 32 months imprisonment and a seven-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Detective Sergeant David Rose emphasized the seriousness of such offences, stating, “This case demonstrates that we continue to take offences of this nature extremely seriously, and anyone found guilty of committing such offences can expect to be dealt with robustly. While there is nothing to suggest any of the children in the images were known or connected to the defendant in any way, the content is deeply distressing. We would always encourage anyone who is a victim of a sexual offence, or anyone who knows of someone who is at risk, to contact us. Know that your voice will be heard.”