PHILIP COLEY SENTENCED IN SOUTHAMPTON FOR OFFENCES INVOLVING CHILD INDECENT IMAGES
A Southampton man, Philip Coley, was convicted of possessing indecent images of children after authorities found inappropriate content on his devices, including screenshots taken from Snapchat of a young girl.The court heard that Coley, 39, of Bitterne Road East, conducted internet searches for terms such as 'topless 12-year-old.' Prosecuting barrister Lucy Conroy explained that investigators discovered images depicting children being raped and abused on his Samsung mobile phone, which was seized during a police raid at his home.
Ms.
Conroy detailed that Coley possessed screenshots from a Snapchat conversation involving a young girl engaged in sexual activity.
Additionally, he was found with three prohibited, overt, and lewd cartoon images of children aged between eight and 12.
At Southampton Crown Court, Coley faced three counts of making indecent images of children, with a total of 53 files ranging from Category A (the most serious) to Category C.
He was also charged with possessing prohibited images of children.
Coley admitted to offenses committed between August and September 2020.
During mitigation, lawyer Paul Walker stated that his client had no previous convictions and urged the court to consider suspending any custodial sentence.
However, Judge Christopher Parker QC sentenced Coley to 16 months in prison.
He will also be subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.
Commenting on the case, Detective Constable Andy Sims highlighted the risks children face online, especially with the increased use of social media platforms.
He said, "Throughout our investigation Coley refused to identify his victim, meaning that somewhere out there is a child who has been abused by this man and needs support.
We will continue to give him every opportunity to provide us with her details or give us any information which allows us to identify her." Sims also emphasized that although Snapchat's self-deleting technology aims to protect privacy, recipients can still capture screenshots, creating permanent copies of images.
He warned that predators exploit various social media apps and encouraged parents and young people to stay vigilant.
As part of Online Safety Week, officials urge the public to seek out resources and advice on protecting children in digital spaces.
