STUART BARNETT FROM EGREMONT SENTENCED FOR CHILD INDECENT IMAGES CASE

A man from Egremont has been legally mandated to register as a sex offender for a period of seven years after being found guilty of possessing indecent images of children. Stuart Barnett, aged 42, was identified as having deliberately sought out and downloaded material that clearly indicated a sexual interest in minors, a fact that was emphasized during his court proceedings at Workington Magistrates’ Court.

According to the case details presented by prosecutor Pamela Fee, Barnett had engaged in the online pursuit of these images, downloading them from the internet, viewing them repeatedly, and making copies of the illicit material. The investigation was initiated after Barnett was arrested on August 17, 2023, on suspicion of creating and possessing indecent images of children. During his arrest, Barnett made comments dismissing the allegations, claiming that he was not responsible and describing the situation as ‘ridiculous’.

Law enforcement officials seized two mobile phones from Barnett—one personal device and one work phone—for examination. The analysis of his personal phone revealed the presence of inaccessible Category B and C images, which are classified as depicting minors in sexual situations. Importantly, no illegal images were discovered on his work phone. The investigation uncovered a small number of Category B and C images, all of which depicted a girl estimated to be between 12 and 14 years old, clearly identifiable as a child. These images also contained links to download further illicit material.

Further scrutiny of Barnett’s browsing history on his personal mobile phone showed extensive use of a particular website, accessed via the Safari browser. The material found was indicative of a deliberate and sustained interest in child exploitation images, with the prosecutor emphasizing that Barnett had actively pursued such content.

During police interviews, Barnett chose not to comment on the allegations. In a subsequent interview, he denied the offences and suggested that someone else might have gained access to his mobile device. However, investigators were able to establish that this was unlikely. Both Barnett’s work and personal phones were connected to the same cell tower at the same time, and the usage patterns demonstrated that he was responsible for the browsing activity on both devices. The work phone was used solely for professional purposes, further linking Barnett to the illicit material.

In addition to the criminal charges, an application was made for a sexual harm prevention order to mitigate the risk of future offending. Barnett, who resides on Beech Avenue in Egremont, pleaded guilty to possessing one Category B indecent image and two Category C indecent images of a child.

His defense lawyer, Chris Toms, clarified that the sentence was only related to the images and not the URL or browsing history. Toms argued that a custodial sentence would have a devastating impact on Barnett’s family, describing him as a self-employed businessman who would face significant hardship if imprisoned. The court ultimately sentenced Barnett to 12 weeks in jail, suspended for 18 months. Additionally, Barnett was ordered to register as a sex offender for seven years and was subject to a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, aimed at preventing any further offences.