RICHARD WOODCOCK FROM PRESTON CAUGHT WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN HESKETH BANK
In December 2019, a disturbing case emerged involving Richard Woodcock, a man residing on Moss Lane in Hesketh Bank, Preston, who was found to have engaged in the possession and creation of indecent images of children.The court proceedings revealed that Woodcock, aged 46, had accumulated a disturbing collection of 1,654 images depicting children being sexually abused by adults.
These images ranged across various categories, with 496 classified as Category A, representing the most severe level of abuse under legal standards, and an additional 336 images falling into Category B.
Furthermore, 822 images were categorized as Category C, and there were 17 images that were prohibited under law, including one that Woodcock had edited himself.
During the court hearing at Preston Crown Court, it was disclosed that Woodcock had also manipulated an image of a young child he knew personally, adding to the gravity of his offenses.
The court was told that the defendant had initially accessed adult pornography in a chat room, where he expressed vitriolic opinions about some of the content.
However, his online activity escalated as he began engaging in conversations with other users, which eventually led to the possession of these illicit images.
In a particularly disturbing revelation, it was noted that Woodcock had edited an innocent image of a child, adding breasts to it, which represented a gross breach of trust and a perversion of innocence.
The child's father was present in court during the proceedings, underscoring the personal and community impact of the case.
Woodcock admitted to making 496 images classified as Category A, the most serious, along with 336 images in Category B, 822 in Category C, and 17 prohibited images.
His defense argued that his actions were linked to a period of significant stress in his life.
In response, Judge Beverley Lunt remarked sternly, “We all have stress — we don’t do this,” emphasizing the severity and unacceptable nature of his crimes.
Since his arrest, Woodcock has sought assistance from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping individuals address problematic tendencies related to child exploitation.
Despite this, the judge was unequivocal in her condemnation, stating, “Your excuses for having possession of these images are frankly pathetic and they cannot possibly explain why you should access this number of images.” She highlighted the breach of trust involved in editing an image of a child he knew and emphasized that his outward appearance as a hardworking family man was a facade, revealing that between 2016 and 2017, his true nature was far from innocent.
Ultimately, Judge Lunt sentenced Woodcock to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years, with a requirement to undergo rehabilitation.
Additionally, she ordered him to be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for a period of ten years, reflecting the serious nature of his offenses and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.
