STEVEN WOODCOCK SENTENCED IN PRESTON FOR SHPO BREACH AND CHILD IMAGE POSSESSION
A convicted sex offender, Steven Woodcock, has been sentenced to two years in prison after failing to disclose the presence of an Amazon Fire TV Stick and a hidden Barclays savings account during a police check, and for possessing indecent images of children.The 44-year-old, who was under a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) managed in the community, was visited by police last year during a routine check.
The SHPO barred him from using any internet-enabled device unless it could display and store internet history, which had to be available for police inspection upon request.
Prosecutor Emma Kehoe told Preston Crown Court that Woodcock admitted to visiting a library in Morecambe up to six times weekly to access the internet.
She noted that officers grew concerned about these frequent visits and conducted follow-up inquiries at the library.
The National Crime Agency later confirmed that Woodcock’s email account was used to upload two images—intended to be indicative of seven-year-old girls—to Instagram; however, she clarified that these images were "not in themselves unlawful." A search warrant was executed at Woodcock’s residence on Clarendon Road West, Morecambe, where officers questioned him about his internet devices.
Ms.
Kehoe stated that Woodcock had a Kindle in his bedroom and an Amazon Fire TV Stick stored in a drawer, both of which violated his SHPO.
Law enforcement also discovered a Halifax bank card and a Barclays savings account, both unreported to authorities.
Investigators found that his laptop contained one Category A indecent image—classified as the most serious—and 46 Category C images of child imagery.
Woodcock pled guilty to breaching the SHPO and possessing indecent images.
Defense lawyer Chris Evans described the number of images as "relatively low" and noted that his client had been "candid" about his misconduct.
He highlighted that Woodcock had engaged well with probation services after his 2016 conviction, and he deserved credit for an early guilty plea, noting that his client remained motivated to seek help.
Judge Simon Medland QC addressed the court, stating that Woodcock’s violations were "deliberate and persistent." He sentenced him to two years' imprisonment, emphasizing the seriousness of his breaches.
The judge remarked, "You have been dealt with on several previous occasions for the possession of unlawful indecent images of children.
These are real images of real children who are really being abused, and that abuse will almost inevitably stay with them for the rest of their lives." He further explained, "The internet being what it is, it's quite easy to imagine that those disgusting images will be more or less forever available to people who view them for the satisfaction of a perverted sexual interest.
You also loaded a cleaning facility to scrub the internet history and confound any investigation.
You have, over a significant period of time, quite deliberately breached these orders that were made to try to protect children from your predations.
Even though there were no contact offenses here, these were offenses involving unlawful sexual images of children."
