DORCHESTER MAN STEVEN GREEN SENTENCED FOR CHILD IMAGE OFFENSES IN BOLD CASE

In October 2010, a man from Dorchester named Steven Green faced serious legal consequences after admitting to multiple charges related to indecent images of children. The court proceedings revealed that Green, aged 43 and residing on Icen Way, had engaged in activities involving the possession and creation of illicit images, which spanned over a period from December 2008 to February 2009.

Green appeared before magistrates and confessed to a total of 18 offences. These included 15 counts of producing still images, one count of creating a moving image, and two counts of possessing such images. The court was informed that Green had naively accessed a website that contained these disturbing images, believing he would encounter content featuring girls aged between 17 and 19. However, the analysis of his computer revealed a far more troubling reality.

Prosecutor Lisa Dytham stated that police investigations uncovered a total of 2,668 images stored on Green’s computer, along with 10 moving photographs, all depicting children. The images were classified into different levels of severity, with 2,665 being level one still images, two at level two, and one at level five—the most serious category. The moving images were categorized at level two. The court was told that Green had downloaded images of girls aged from 16 to 18, but some of the images depicted girls as young as eight to twelve years old, which significantly heightened the severity of his offences.

Green was arrested in February 2009, and charges were formally brought against him on July 27 of that year. During his police interview, he admitted to downloading images of girls aged 16 to 18 and explained that he had visited a site with a section labeled 'jail bait,' mistakenly believing it contained content of girls aged 17 to 19. He claimed that none of the images involved pre-teen children, but the evidence contradicted this, revealing the presence of images of much younger girls.

In court, Green’s defense lawyer, Des Reynolds, emphasized that there was no evidence to suggest that Green had been involved in distributing the images. Reynolds highlighted that Green had no prior criminal record and described him as a highly intelligent individual with a successful career in the Royal Air Force. The lawyer also provided context about Green’s personal life, noting that a long-term relationship had ended in 2001, after which Green’s health declined significantly. He lost weight and his employment, leading to a more isolated existence where he turned to the internet for entertainment.

Reynolds argued that if Green were to be imprisoned, he would be vulnerable to harm from other inmates. He acknowledged Green’s naivety and stupidity in accessing such a website, particularly one with a provocative name like 'jail bait,' which he said was asking for trouble.

Ultimately, the magistrates sentenced Green to four months in prison for each of the offences, with all sentences to run concurrently. These sentences were suspended for two years, meaning Green would not serve time unless he committed further offences within that period. Additionally, he was ordered to attend a sex offenders’ treatment program and was placed on the sex offenders’ register for seven years, starting from August 23, the date he entered his pleas.

The court also imposed a financial penalty, requiring Green to pay prosecution costs of £85. Furthermore, all computer equipment seized during a police search of his home on February 16 of the previous year was ordered to be forfeited. The magistrates’ decision underscores the seriousness with which such offences are treated, especially given the disturbing nature of the images involved and the potential harm to victims.