PETER MYLCHREEST FROM ASHBITTLE SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES IN TAUNTON

In September 2018, a man from Ashbrittle named Peter Mylchreest faced serious criminal charges related to the possession and distribution of indecent images of children. A judge publicly condemned him as a pervert and expressed the hope that he would suffer nightmares as a result of his actions.

Peter Mylchreest, aged 60 and residing at The Cottage in Ashbrittle, attempted to justify his disturbing behavior by claiming that he only viewed the illicit images on his computer in an effort to garner 'flattery' from other men online. However, his actions went far beyond mere viewing, as evidenced by the evidence presented in court.

Emma Martin, the prosecutor, detailed the extent of Mylchreest’s offenses during a sentencing hearing held at Taunton Crown Court. She revealed that between September 2014 and May 2017, Mylchreest downloaded a total of 799 indecent images depicting children aged between six and twelve years old. Of these, he stored 168 images on his device. Additionally, he uploaded 11 indecent images of children during a period from August to October 2016.

In response to these serious charges, Mylchreest pleaded guilty to all counts. The court sentenced him to a total of nine months in prison for possession of indecent images, with an additional three months for distributing such images. These sentences were suspended for a period of 12 months, meaning he will not serve time immediately but will be under supervision during this period.

Furthermore, Mylchreest was subjected to a 12-month supervision order and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order that will remain in effect for ten years. He is also required to register as a sex offender for the same duration. As part of his sentencing, he was ordered to pay costs of £500 and a victim surcharge of £140.

The judge, David Ticehurst, delivered a stern message to Mylchreest, stating, 'If it weren’t for people like you prepared to look at these images, there wouldn’t be abuse of little children.' He emphasized that Mylchreest had a seemingly normal childhood and maintained good relations with his late parents, who are unaware of his criminal conduct. The judge expressed disgust at the fact that Mylchreest derived pleasure from viewing images of young children being sexually abused, labeling him explicitly as a paedophile and a pervert.

Concluding his remarks, Judge Ticehurst expressed a wish that Mylchreest would experience nightmares similar to those suffered by the children depicted in the images he downloaded, highlighting the severity and depravity of his crimes.