PETER FRY RECEIVES COMMUNITY ORDER IN READING AFTER VIEWING ILLEGAL IMAGES

In March 2019, Peter Fry, a Vodafone engineer from Ogden Park, Bracknell, appeared at Reading Crown Court where he was sentenced to a community order after being found with a substantial amount of pornographic material. Fry, who confessed to being a sex addict and had recently joined Sex Addicts Anonymous, was involved in a case involving indecent images, some of which depicted bestiality with horses and dogs.

Judge Nigel Daly addressed Fry during the hearing, highlighting the impact of such material: "I am not here to protect horses and dogs, I am here to protect children. Looking at photographs and images of children is illegal, and one of the reasons it is illegal is because if there were no market for this sort of thing, it would not be happening in the sort of amounts it is happening. Very often it involves children who are very young and children in less accessible parts of the world. If there were no market for it, the child may not get abused."

Prosecutor Kirsty Allman revealed that police received information in 2017 regarding an upload of an indecent image to the social media platform ChatStep. This led to the defendant’s home address being identified through IP tracing. When officers entered the two-bedroom flat, Fry admitted everything, stating, "all to do with him." Media storage devices, including laptops, USB sticks, and hard drives, were confiscated.

Despite the charges, Fry’s partner of seven years supported him throughout proceedings, and Fry remained employed during the investigation. Following his court appearance, Fry received a 24-month community order that includes 30 days of rehabilitation and 120 hours of unpaid work. Additionally, he was placed under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Judge Daly explained that Fry would not face jail time for three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possessing extreme images involving animals. However, he emphasized the seriousness of the offense: "I am here to protect children."

He further commented on the role of market demand: "If there were no market for it, the child may not get abused." The judge underscored that this illegal activity often involves very young victims, many from vulnerable parts of the world, and that such demand perpetuates abuse.