PHILIP WILLCOCK FROM BUCKLEY JAILED FOR CHILD INDECENT IMAGES IN SHOCKING CASE

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Buckley, Philip Willcock, a 47-year-old resident of Nant Mawr Court, was sentenced to prison after being found guilty of possessing and downloading indecent images of children. The case, which was heard at Mold Crown Court, revealed a series of serious allegations against Willcock, who initially denied any involvement in the distribution or possession of such material.

Willcock claimed that a female friend he met online was responsible for the indecent images found on his devices. He insisted that she must have uploaded the material while she was at his home, attempting to shift blame and deny his own culpability. However, the jury was not convinced by his explanation. After a thorough trial, they unanimously convicted him on four counts of making indecent movies of children by downloading them from the internet. Of these, three were classified as Category A, indicating the most severe level of indecency, and one was categorized as B.

In addition to these charges, Willcock was found to be in possession of 19 indecent images, with four classified as Category B and 15 as Category C, which is considered less severe but still highly concerning. The evidence against him was substantial, and the court heard that a computer tablet was seized from his home during police searches in July 2014. Unfortunately, the hard drive of the device could not be examined, leaving some questions unanswered. Instead, authorities discovered the offending material stored on a separate SD card, which was found in the device.

During police interviews, Willcock maintained that he was unaware of the images on the SD card. He claimed he had no knowledge of the content, which included images of his pet dog and scenes from inside his flat. Despite his assertions, the images on the card included explicit material involving children, which he had downloaded from the internet. The court was told that the images depicted very young children being abused, and the storage of such material meant he could revisit these images repeatedly.

Judge Rhys Rowlands presided over the case and sentenced Willcock to eight months in prison. The judge also ordered him to register as a sex offender with the police for the next ten years and imposed a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration. The judge expressed his disapproval of Willcock’s apparent lack of remorse and his failure to comprehend the harm caused to the victims of such abuse. He emphasized that the suffering inflicted on the children was far more significant than the consequences faced by the defendant.

During the sentencing, Judge Rowlands highlighted that a computer tablet was seized from Willcock’s home, but its contents could not be fully examined due to technical issues. The images were stored on an SD card, which was the primary source of evidence. The police initially wanted to question Willcock about a photograph uploaded online under a female’s name associated with his internet connection. Willcock claimed to have met this woman from Chester on Facebook and suggested she might have uploaded the image during a casual meeting over coffee. He insisted he had been given the SD card and was unaware of the explicit content stored on it.

Further investigation revealed that the SD card contained not only the indecent images but also photographs of Willcock’s dog, including pictures of the animal on his sofa and in front of his television. Despite his claims of ignorance, the evidence painted a disturbing picture of his involvement with the material. The case underscored the serious nature of such offenses and the importance of holding offenders accountable to protect vulnerable children from further harm.