RICHARD POOLE OF HELSTON AND SYDENHAM JAILED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY NETWORK

In a disturbing case that has shocked communities in Helston and Sydenham, Richard Poole, a 47-year-old man, has been sentenced to prison for his involvement in creating and maintaining an extensive online library of child pornography. The investigation revealed that Poole had accumulated thousands of illicit images depicting children as young as two engaged in sexual activities, stored across computers located at his residence in Helston, Cornwall, as well as at his elderly parents' home on Halifax Street in Sydenham.

Poole's criminal activities came to light after authorities uncovered his extensive online interactions. He was found to have been actively browsing numerous newsgroups and websites worldwide, engaging with other individuals involved in similar illicit pursuits. The Metropolitan Police's Obscene Publications and Internet Unit launched an investigation after Poole was found to have been in contact with another paedophile, who had requested images from him in July of the previous year.

During the search, law enforcement officials discovered a staggering number of illegal images stored on various devices. At the Sydenham address, police recovered 14,678 image files, of which approximately 90 percent were of a sexual nature, although not all were subject to criminal charges. Meanwhile, at the Cornwall residence, 12,461 files were found on a computer, with about 75 percent depicting children under the age of 16 engaged in sexual acts, either with other children or adults. Additionally, Poole's laptop contained 2,051 images, with authorities estimating that around 1,925 of these were indecent images of children under 16, many of whom were between the ages of two and ten.

Prosecutor Vincent Coughlin detailed the severity of the case, stating, “Many of these images involve children between two and ten years old, engaged in sexual acts with other children or adults.” The evidence presented painted a disturbing picture of Poole’s activities, highlighting the extent of his involvement in the distribution and possession of child pornography.

In his defense, James Waddington acknowledged that Poole was not a major distributor of such material and emphasized that his client had admitted guilt. Poole pleaded guilty to four charges of distributing indecent photographs of a child and eight charges of making indecent photographs of a child. The court sentenced him to 18 months in prison and ordered him to be registered as a sex offender for the next ten years, marking a significant step in the ongoing effort to combat online child exploitation.