RICHARD MILLAR FROM GREAT SANKEY ESCAPES JAIL DESPITE NEARLY 30,000 CHILD INDECENT IMAGES FOUND

In a case that has shocked the community of Great Sankey, Richard Millar, a 28-year-old man, was found to possess an alarming collection of nearly 30,000 indecent images of children, yet he was ultimately spared immediate imprisonment. The discovery was made during a police raid at his residence in Ventnor Close in 2018, where authorities uncovered a disturbing cache of illicit material spread across three different electronic devices.

According to court proceedings, police had received intelligence suggesting that Millar might be involved in downloading or accessing illegal images of children. Acting on this information, officers executed a search warrant in the early hours of November 16, 2018. During the raid, they seized two Samsung smartphones and an HP laptop from his bedroom. The forensic analysis of these devices revealed that Millar had been actively accessing and downloading indecent images up until the time of his arrest, with the evidence indicating this activity had been ongoing for nearly five and a half years.

The authorities found an astonishing total of 29,977 indecent images of children on the devices. Among these, 5,825 were classified as Category A, representing the most severe type of abuse, involving children as young as five being raped. This category also included 144 videos of the worst kind. Additionally, police discovered 6,741 images and videos categorized as Category B, and 17,411 images classified as Category C, which involved children from infants to teenagers. The material also included seven extreme pornographic images involving bestiality and 23 prohibited images, which were described as cartoons depicting indecent acts involving children.

Throughout the investigation, Millar remained silent, offering no comment during police interviews. The devices were sent for detailed forensic examination, confirming that he had been actively downloading and viewing such material up until his arrest. In May of this year, police conducted a further interview with Millar, who again chose not to speak.

At Liverpool Crown Court, Judge Stuart Driver addressed the case, acknowledging Millar’s guilty pleas to six charges, including possession of Category A indecent images. The judge noted that the large volume of images and the extended period over which they were accumulated warranted a significant starting point for sentencing. However, he also took into account Millar’s previous good character, his employment history, and the fact that he had sought help through counseling since his arrest.

In a surprising decision, the judge opted to suspend Millar’s sentence, sentencing him to 12 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. As part of his sentence, Millar is required to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activities, adhere to a sexual harm prevention order for the next decade, and register as a sex offender for ten years. The court also ordered the destruction of the devices involved in the case. Judge Driver warned that if Millar were to reoffend or be caught with similar material again, he would likely face immediate imprisonment.