BURNLEY SALESMAN STEVEN DILLEY CAUGHT VIEWING CHILD ABUSE IMAGES AND EXTREME PORNOGRAPHY
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Burnley, Steven Dilley, a 42-year-old local salesman, was found to have been engaging in the viewing of highly disturbing and illegal online content involving child abuse and extreme pornography.The incident came to light after police executed a raid on his residence on Lansdowne Close in Burnley early in the morning, precisely at 7:20 am on November 22 of the previous year.
During the court proceedings at Burnley Crown Court, it was revealed that Dilley had admitted to viewing a significant number of illicit images and videos.
Specifically, he confessed to having looked at nearly 200 vile videos and still images depicting the abuse of children as young as three years old.
The court was informed that his online activity also included viewing obscene images involving sexual acts with animals, highlighting the extent of his disturbing interests.
The court heard that Dilley’s viewing habits were driven by a desire for thrill-seeking, which he described to police after his arrest.
He reportedly told officers, “Deep down, I always knew this day was coming,” indicating a recognition of his problematic behavior.
Despite his claims of not being a risk to children, the judge emphasized that his actions contributed to a harmful market for such illegal images, stating, “Without people like you, there would be no market for these pictures.” Details of his online activity included viewing 63 images at the lowest level of severity, six at the second level, 33 at the third, 47 at the fourth, and one at the highest level, which involved the most extreme content.
The images depicted children aged between approximately three and ten years old, predominantly females.
Additionally, Dilley had viewed 12 images classified as extreme, further underscoring the severity of his offenses.
In March of the previous year, Dilley had pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possessing extreme pornography.
The court sentenced him to nine months in prison, but this sentence was suspended for two years.
He was also subjected to 24 months of supervision and mandated to attend the Internet Sex Offenders’ Treatment Programme.
Furthermore, Dilley was issued an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order and was ordered to register as a sex offender for the next ten years.
Prosecutor Stephen Parker highlighted that when Dilley was arrested, he admitted to having looked at illicit material and then deleting it, claiming, “I have looked at things that I shouldn’t have looked at and then deleted them.” He expressed remorse, stating he had been “stupid” and was sorry for his actions.
Police recovered his laptop during the investigation.
Defence lawyer Richard Taylor described Dilley as a man of previously good character, attempting to mitigate the severity of his actions.
However, Judge Simon Newell was clear in his sentencing remarks, emphasizing that Dilley’s denial of being a risk to children was unfounded.
The judge stated, “These children would not be abused in his way and damaged psychologically and physically unless there were people like you who are the market for these images,” underscoring the broader societal harm caused by such offenders.
