SIMON DICKINSON SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES
Simon Dickinson, of West Derby, Liverpool, was involved in sharing depraved content related to child abuse.His disturbing behaviours were uncovered after police traced activities on Snapchat and Kik Messenger.
Dickinson was found to have uploaded indecent images, with prosecutors revealing that Merseyside Police received intelligence indicating a Snapchat account uploading indecent material.
Officers traced the IP address to his residence, leading to his arrest on November 24 of the previous year.
During the investigation, authorities uncovered 58 images of child rape, including eight videos, alongside 266 other images of child sexual abuse, 15 of which were videos.
The children depicted were aged between six and ten years old.
Dickinson was part of a Kik Messenger group chat titled 'TeenTinyGirl,' where members shared graphic videos and images of children being raped.
In the group, comments such as 'nice,' 'sexy,' and 'want to trade' were exchanged.
Prosecutor Derek Jones stated that Dickinson commented 'nice' after a video of a child being raped was shared.
Additionally, Dickinson sent links to videos of child rape to seven other individuals shortly before his arrest.
Evidence suggested these recipients received and approved of the content.
The police recovered a significant collection of illegal material, including 75 child rape videos, 81 videos depicting other forms of child sexual abuse, and a still image of an adult woman being raped.
Dickinson also had prior convictions unrelated to sexual offenses, involving drugs and alcohol from the years 2002 and 2008.
Defence lawyer Stuart Mills urged the court to consider a suspended sentence, emphasizing Dickinson's denial of any sexual interest in children, which was supported by a probation report.
Mills described Dickinson as 'mortified, devastated and broken' by his actions, citing his isolation, loneliness, and reliance on chat applications which facilitated the offending.
He argued that a jail sentence would severely affect Dickinson's employment and relationships with his children.
Dickinson pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including making and possessing indecent images of children, distributing such images, and possessing an extreme pornographic image.
Judge David Aubrey, QC, sentencing him, condemned Dickinson's actions, stating, 'Notwithstanding the fact you may be an isolated and lonely man, you were immersed in sexual depravity concerning children.' The judge highlighted that Dickinson obtained sexual gratification from these images and was actively involved in a network designed for sharing such material, which he considered a serious aggravating factor.
The court sentenced Dickinson to two years and six months in prison, ordered him to register as a sex offender for life, and imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same duration.
