SIMON HODGES FROM TILBURY SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES IN LONDON

In a case that has shocked the community of Tilbury and the wider London area, Simon Hodges, a 30-year-old man from Tilbury, Essex, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after being found guilty of possessing and creating indecent images of children. The incident came to light when colleagues at his workplace, a City-based insurance firm, discovered a computer disc containing highly disturbing material on his desk, prompting immediate police intervention.

Hodges, a father of two, faced multiple charges, including 18 counts related to the making and possession of indecent images of children. Authorities revealed that during their investigation, they uncovered approximately 140 similar images stored at his residence in Tilbury. All of these images were classified within the most severe categories, with some depicting sexual acts involving children and adults (category four), and others illustrating acts of masochism (category five).

The court heard that Hodges' colleagues had observed him spending an unusual amount of time in chatrooms while at work. Suspecting inappropriate activity, they decided to conduct a covert online operation by logging onto one of these chatrooms under a false identity and initiating a conversation with him. Their suspicions grew after the exchange, which suggested that Hodges might have been visiting adult pornography sites, contrary to his presumed innocence.

Further investigation revealed a more disturbing aspect of Hodges' online activity. After he left work and returned home, his colleagues conducted a search of his desk and discovered images of a young girl, reportedly around 12 years old. This discovery prompted immediate action, and police were called to the scene. Hodges was arrested the following day when he arrived at his workplace in London.

During the sentencing hearing at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC described the images found as