PHILIP WOOD FROM GLOUCESTER SENTENCED FOR MAKING THOUSANDS OF CHILD INDECENT IMAGES
A man from Gloucester, Philip Wood, has been sentenced to prison after admitting to the production of a staggering number of indecent images of children.The 71-year-old resident of Westgate Street appeared before Gloucester Crown Court on Wednesday, 23 October, where he faced serious charges related to his possession and creation of illicit material.
Wood was formally charged with eight counts of making indecent images of children, alongside nine counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
The court proceedings revealed that Wood, a registered sex offender, had previously been convicted of sexual offences in 2020.
As part of his earlier sentencing, he was subject to a SHPO that remains in effect until 1 December 2027.
This order explicitly prohibited him from owning any electronic devices, such as mobile phones or laptops, unless he declared them to the police and made them available for inspection.
Despite these restrictions, Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) team conducted multiple unannounced visits to Wood’s residence between August 2023 and May 2024.
During each visit, officers discovered that Wood had electronic devices which he had failed to declare or surrender, and these devices contained numerous indecent images of children.
It was also uncovered that Wood was operating under a pseudonym for his online accounts, a clear violation of the conditions set by his SHPO.
Following suspicions raised during the initial visits, the authorities seized and examined Wood’s electronic devices.
His arrest took place in November, after which he was released on bail while investigators compiled their case.
In May of the following year, Wood was rearrested and remanded in custody.
A thorough forensic analysis of his devices revealed the presence of over 134,172 indecent images of children, along with more than 150 hours of video footage depicting similar material.
On 7 August, Wood pleaded guilty to all charges during a court hearing.
During the proceedings, he admitted that he derived a thrill from engaging in such illicit activities.
He also disclosed that he had previously attended rehabilitation courses, which he claimed had not been effective in preventing his behavior.
In sentencing, the court imposed a total of three years’ imprisonment for each of the nine breaches of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Additionally, he received a three-year sentence for creating Category A indecent images, a two-year term for Category B images, and a 12-month sentence for Category C images.
All these sentences are to run concurrently.
Furthermore, Wood was ordered to be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.
