PETER THURLEY IVYBRIDGE CHURCH WARDEN CAUGHT WITH NEARLY 1500 CHILD ABUSE IMAGES

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Ivybridge, Peter Thurley, a well-known church warden and organist, was found in possession of nearly 1,500 highly disturbing images depicting child abuse. The incident came to light after police executed a raid on Thurley's residence on March 2 of the previous year, following intelligence reports indicating the online sharing of illicit child images. Authorities seized three electronic devices during the operation, which later revealed the extent of Thurley's involvement in the possession and distribution of these illegal materials.

Thurley's online activity included searches for indecent images, and his WhatsApp chat history contained conversations with a fellow paedophile about sharing such images. Prosecutors highlighted that approximately one-third of the images fell into the most severe Category A classification, showing children being sexually abused by adults. The youngest child depicted in any of the images was believed to be as young as one year old, intensifying the severity of the case.

During the court proceedings at Plymouth Crown Court, the 74-year-old defendant, a resident of Cameron Drive, Ivybridge, admitted to six counts related to the possession of indecent images of children across all three categories. He also pleaded guilty to distributing two images classified as Category C, which involved sending pictures to another individual with a sexual interest in children.

Nick Lewin, representing the Crown Prosecution Service, explained that Thurley's involvement in the sharing of images was linked to his claimed interest in naturism. Despite his assertions of a longstanding naturist lifestyle, police investigations revealed that Thurley’s online activity was deeply troubling and linked to his role as a church warden and organist at a church in Ermington near Ivybridge.

Judge William Mousley addressed Thurley directly, emphasizing the gravity of the offenses. He stated, “Each and every one of these 1,469 images of children represents a single act of abuse against a child, and possession and distribution of this material for personal pleasure can never be taken lightly.” The judge noted that the high volume of images and the very young age of the children involved made the case particularly serious. After careful consideration, Judge Mousley decided to suspend Thurley's prison sentence, opting instead for a combination of community service, probation, and monitoring measures.

Thurley was sentenced to 42 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work. Additionally, he was mandated to participate in 35 days of probation’s Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and to pay prosecution costs of £240. As part of the court’s measures to prevent future offenses, Thurley was issued a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which grants police authority to monitor his internet activity and explicitly bans him from attending naturist events where children are present. Furthermore, he is required to register as a sex offender for the next ten years.

In a controversial statement from 2013, Thurley, then a representative of British Naturism, claimed that naturism was a healthy lifestyle and that anyone tarnishing its reputation did not receive support from the organization. Ironically, at that time, Thurley was publicly defending naturism while himself engaging in illegal and morally reprehensible behavior involving images of children, which has now led to his conviction and ongoing monitoring.