PHILIP BURNS FROM LISBURN ADMITS TO HAVING VIDEO FILES OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN NORTHERN IRELAND'S FIRST CASE

In a landmark case within Northern Ireland's legal history, a man from Lisburn, Philip Burns, made a significant admission in court that has set a precedent. During proceedings at Craigavon Crown Court in March 2017, Burns, aged 27, pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to the possession of highly disturbing material involving children.

Burns faced 14 counts of creating indecent images of children, alongside five additional charges for possessing extreme pornography. The offences spanned a period from July 4, 2014, to February 22 of the previous year. What makes this case particularly notable is that Burns was not accused of possessing still images or photographs, which are more commonly encountered in such cases. Instead, he was found to have stored video files depicting child sexual abuse, marking the first time such a charge has been prosecuted under Northern Ireland law.

The titles of many of these videos were so graphic and disturbing that they could not be publicly repeated in court. Some of the descriptions implied acts of rape involving children as young as four and five years old. Due to the explicit nature of the content, the court clerk referred to the charges simply as possession of “video files,” avoiding detailed descriptions.

During the hearing, Burns' defence lawyer confirmed to Judge Patrick Lynch QC that his client fully understood the nature of the charges he was admitting to. The lawyer also indicated that a pre-sentence report would be necessary to determine appropriate sentencing measures.

Prosecutor Joseph Murphy outlined that, given Burns' guilty pleas, he would be required to register as a sex offender with the police. The court was informed that Burns would be released on bail, but only after he signed the relevant documentation to comply with the sex offenders register. Judge Lynch emphasized that this registration must be completed before Burns leaves the court premises.

Burns was scheduled to return to court on May 5 for sentencing. The judge advised him to cooperate fully with probation services during their assessment, emphasizing that such cooperation was in his best interest. The court proceedings underscored the seriousness of the case and the unprecedented nature of the charges involving video files of child abuse in Northern Ireland.