THEODORE FORD OF YORK RECEIVES SUSPENDED SENTENCE FOR DISTRIBUTING CHILD SEXUAL IMAGES
| Red Rose Database
Acomb Child Sexual Abuser
In March 2014, a man was given a suspended prison sentence after admitting to sending illegal sexual images of children via email.
When police traced Theodore Harry Ford’s email address to his residence, they discovered 186 sexual images of underage girls, along with 20 extreme pornographic images on his laptop. Additionally, Ford admitted responsibility for eight images found on his brother’s computer. Prosecutor Nick Adlington stated, "They also found many chat room references by him to the sharing and sending of sexual images of children."
Ford, aged 23 and residing on Jorvik Close in Acomb, pleaded guilty to seven charges related to indecent images of minors.
His barrister, Steven Crossley, explained that the recent death of Ford’s mother had significantly affected him, saying, "He became during that period isolated and withdrawn."
During the hearing at York Crown Court, Judge Stephen Ashurst, the Recorder of York, commented on the broader context, noting, "In the present climate, many teenagers and young people give very little thought of the long-term consequences of sending images of themselves, and Ford may have become 'desensitised' to the images he was sending."
He acknowledged that Ford was likely “low and depressed” at the time.
The judge highlighted that testimonials from Ford's family and friends indicated his behavior was out of character due to personal issues, and that his guilty plea spared him from immediate imprisonment.
As part of his sentence, Ford received a five-month prison term suspended for two years, with two years of supervised release. He was also mandated to attend a sex offender treatment program and restricted from using the internet.
Furthermore, Ford was placed on the sex offenders’ register, disqualified from working with children, and warned that attending the program could be emotionally embarrassing.
Judge Ashurst remarked, “You have only yourself to blame for this,” and added, “The sentence will seriously restrict your ability to travel abroad, but that is part of the punishment.”
When police traced Theodore Harry Ford’s email address to his residence, they discovered 186 sexual images of underage girls, along with 20 extreme pornographic images on his laptop. Additionally, Ford admitted responsibility for eight images found on his brother’s computer. Prosecutor Nick Adlington stated, "They also found many chat room references by him to the sharing and sending of sexual images of children."
Ford, aged 23 and residing on Jorvik Close in Acomb, pleaded guilty to seven charges related to indecent images of minors.
His barrister, Steven Crossley, explained that the recent death of Ford’s mother had significantly affected him, saying, "He became during that period isolated and withdrawn."
During the hearing at York Crown Court, Judge Stephen Ashurst, the Recorder of York, commented on the broader context, noting, "In the present climate, many teenagers and young people give very little thought of the long-term consequences of sending images of themselves, and Ford may have become 'desensitised' to the images he was sending."
He acknowledged that Ford was likely “low and depressed” at the time.
The judge highlighted that testimonials from Ford's family and friends indicated his behavior was out of character due to personal issues, and that his guilty plea spared him from immediate imprisonment.
As part of his sentence, Ford received a five-month prison term suspended for two years, with two years of supervised release. He was also mandated to attend a sex offender treatment program and restricted from using the internet.
Furthermore, Ford was placed on the sex offenders’ register, disqualified from working with children, and warned that attending the program could be emotionally embarrassing.
Judge Ashurst remarked, “You have only yourself to blame for this,” and added, “The sentence will seriously restrict your ability to travel abroad, but that is part of the punishment.”