THOMAS DALY FROM GOOLE SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES IN HULL

In February 2017, Thomas Daly, a resident of Goole, was at the center of a disturbing case involving child abuse images and deception. The case was heard at Hull Crown Court, where prosecutors detailed how Daly attempted to cover up his involvement in possessing and sharing indecent images of children.

According to the prosecution, Daly became aware that police were investigating him after he uploaded explicit images to a Russian website known for hosting and exchanging child abuse material. In an effort to evade detection, Daly disposed of his laptop, claiming it had been stolen during a burglary. However, when a detective visited his home on Windsor Drive in Goole to follow up on the report, it quickly became evident that Daly's story was fabricated.

Phillip Evans, the prosecutor, explained to Judge David Tremberg that the detective sergeant who visited Daly's residence was suspicious of the burglary account. The officer noted that the thief had taken the laptop but had left behind the charging cable, a detail that seemed unusual based on the detective’s experience. Confronted with these inconsistencies, Daly eventually admitted that his report of a burglary was false.

Further investigation led police to waste ground near Daly’s home, where he directed them to a concealed Toshiba laptop inside a carrier bag. The authorities had been monitoring the Russian website, which was identified as a platform used by individuals involved in the possession and exchange of indecent images of children.

When the laptop was examined, it revealed a disturbing array of illegal content. Among the files was a two-minute, seven-second video depicting an adult sexually abusing a nine-year-old child. This particular video was classified as Category A, indicating the most severe level of abuse. In addition to this, authorities found 1,499 other images, some of which were not accessible to Daly but were confirmed to have been downloaded by him. These images included extreme depictions of children as young as three years old, with 217 classified as Category A, 90 as Category B, and 1,192 as Category C.

Daly admitted to making and possessing indecent images of children and was also found to have obstructed police officers during their investigation. The offenses spanned from February 2013 to January 2015, highlighting a prolonged period of illegal activity.

Representing Daly, solicitor Graham Pressler remarked that his client had been living under a shadow of severe punishment, likening it to the gallows once used for capital offenses. The judge responded with a grim acknowledgment of the seriousness of the case, emphasizing the damaging impact such crimes have on victims. He explained that offenses like these can encourage further abuse, as they often lead to children suffering long-term emotional trauma that may not be immediately apparent.

The judge addressed Daly directly, stating, “What you did is despicable, do you understand?” The court sentenced Daly to a three-year community order, which includes mandatory attendance at 45 sessions of the Northumbria Sex Offenders Group Programme and 50 days of rehabilitation. Additionally, Daly is required to register as a sex offender for five years and adhere to a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration. The judge warned that failure to comply with any part of the order could result in a one-year prison sentence.