TORQUAY MAN RODERICK WOOLVEN SENTENCED FOR DOWNLOAD OF THOUSANDS OF INDECENT IMAGES

In September 2017, Roderick Woolven, a 49-year-old resident of Torquay, was handed a community order after being found with an extensive collection of indecent images of children. Woolven was described as a lonely and troubled individual leading a solitary life in Torquay. When authorities executed a search warrant at his home in the Strathmore Apartments on Scarborough Road, police discovered that he had downloaded approximately 4,500 child sex abuse images onto his computers. Among these were many of the most serious kinds, including material depicting the rape of very young girls.

Woolven, a former door fitter, expressed remorse during his court appearance, stating he was 'disgusted' by his own actions. He pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children at Exeter Crown Court. Prosecutor William Hunter explained that during the police raid, officers found a total of 227 indecent images, including movies, categorized as Category A (the most severe), along with 168 Category B images and 609 Category C images. Although police initially stopped counting after reaching 1,000 images, it was later established that the total number exceeded 4,500.

Woolven admitted to police that he had a sexual interest in girls aged six and above, although many of the images depicted much younger children. He explained that he initially started viewing adult pornography online but subsequently developed an addiction to viewing child abuse material. During a probation interview, Woolven revealed that he sometimes deleted the images because he was disgusted with himself, but at other times, he viewed them for sexual gratification.

He also disclosed that he experienced a difficult childhood. Addressing the court, Judge Graham Cottle remarked, 'This involved an enormous library of indecent images.' He added that there was no evidence suggesting Woolven shared these files with others. The judge noted, 'Included in the very large number of images were a large number of Category A – the worst kind. You are a man of previous good character in your late forties who lives on his own in Torquay. How you became involved in this I’m not entirely sure.'

In light of these findings, the judge decided to deal with Woolven pursuant to the probation report. Woolven, now residing on Castle Road, was sentenced to a two-year community order. As part of this order, he must complete up to 60 days of a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement aimed at addressing his behavior and preventing future offenses. Judge Cottle explained, 'It is in effect to understand why you did it and to stop you doing it again in the future.'