PETER CHUBB FROM ST HELENS CAUGHT WITH CHILD SEX ABUSE IMAGES AND CLAIMS IT'S 'ART'
In February 2021, a disturbing case emerged involving Peter Chubb, a resident of Cooper Street in St Helens, who was found to have engaged in the disturbing act of editing a photograph of a young girl onto an explicit sexual abuse image.Chubb, in an attempt to justify his actions, claimed that the manipulated image was some form of 'art,' a defense that was swiftly dismissed by the court.
On August 19, 2019, police officers executed a warrant at Chubb's residence following investigations into his online activities.
The authorities had identified that Chubb had been accessing and downloading indecent images of children through the internet.
During the search, law enforcement officials uncovered a significant amount of computer equipment and digital files related to his illicit activities.
It was revealed that Chubb had superimposed the face of a young girl onto an indecent image of a child, saving this manipulated picture on his computer a total of 204 times.
The same image, featuring the girl’s face on a sexual abuse scene, was downloaded hundreds of times by him.
The victim’s mother was called to court to identify her daughter in the disturbing image, which caused her considerable distress.
In her victim impact statement, she expressed her horror and emotional turmoil, stating, "I was sick to my stomach.
I try to put on a brave face for the family.
I hope he realises what damage has been caused by his actions.
I just want all of this to be over." During the court proceedings, District Judge Hatton expressed strong disapproval of Chubb’s actions.
He dismissed Chubb’s claim that the image was 'art,' describing it as 'nonsense.' The judge emphasized that the possession of such images, especially in the context of repeated downloads and manipulations, warranted serious consideration for custodial sentencing.
He pointed out that the images had been saved 204 times, which added to the severity of the case.
Judge Hatton highlighted his concern about the nature of the images and the defendant’s attitude, stating, "My concern is the fact that, for want of a better expression, he has photoshopped the image and my concern this morning was the way in which I was being asked to sentence.
It is possession of an image, there is an aggravating feature here which in my mind makes it pass the custody threshold." In sentencing, the judge described Chubb’s conduct as 'horrible' and dismissed his explanation in the pre-sentence report as lacking credibility.
Following sentencing guidelines set by the Sentencing Council, the court considered the fact that Chubb had pleaded guilty promptly.
As a result, the judge decided on a suspended sentence of six months, which would be held over for two years.
Additionally, an indefinite restraining order was issued to prevent Chubb from making any contact with the young girl involved.
Chubb was also ordered to complete 40 Rehabilitation Activity Requirements and was subjected to a six-week curfew from 7 pm to 7 am.
Furthermore, he was required to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £122.
As part of his legal obligations, Chubb must also register as a sex offender for a period of seven years, ensuring ongoing monitoring of his activities to protect the community from further harm.
