GUILTY SEX OFFENDER THOMAS HOLROYD AND TIMOTHY BURKE CAUGHT IN GUISBOROUGH AND STOCKTON

In a case that highlights ongoing concerns about online sexual offenses, Thomas Holroyd, a 22-year-old resident of Stockton, was involved in a series of legal proceedings related to his previous criminal conduct. Back in February 2017, Holroyd was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but this sentence was suspended for two years, after he admitted to making indecent photographs of children in 2015. The court also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and mandated that he register as a sex offender for a period of ten years.

During the court hearing, prosecutor Jenny Haigh emphasized that the SHPO explicitly prohibited Holroyd from using any aliases or pseudonyms online. Despite being informed of these restrictions, Holroyd was found to have deleted apps and software from his phone but appeared to have misunderstood some of the conditions, citing memory difficulties as a reason. The situation came to light during a visit from his offender manager on March 15, when an inspection of his phone revealed that he had accessed a website using a username with suggestive titles. Initially, the officer did not realize that Holroyd was not permitted to use any aliases at all, only to later confirm that he had breached the terms of his SHPO.

When questioned about his actions, Holroyd, who resides on Hartington Road in central Stockton, became visibly agitated and dismissed the matter as “boring.” He expressed a belief that “everyone hides their name,” and when advised that he was not allowed to do so, he claimed he did not care. His defense lawyer, Alex Bousfield, argued that Holroyd faced significant difficulties, including learning disabilities, and that he genuinely cared about the offense. Bousfield described Holroyd’s behavior during police interviews as acting “like some kind of surly teenager,” noting that he felt frustrated and reacted accordingly. Despite these challenges, Bousfield emphasized that Holroyd was attempting to comply with the court’s orders and had not caused any further issues since the breach.

He further explained that Holroyd’s devices were initially examined because he had sent abusive messages, and that he had experienced severe bullying as a child in Stockton. The defense highlighted that the courts had previously made efforts not to criminalize Holroyd unnecessarily. Judge Simon Hickey acknowledged the unusual nature of Holroyd’s case, citing his mental health and background as factors that made incarceration unjust. Instead, the judge imposed a new two-month jail sentence, suspended for one year, adding to the existing 18-month suspended sentence. The judge warned Holroyd that any further breaches of the SHPO or additional offenses could result in a total of twenty months in prison.

In a related case from February 2017, Holroyd’s conduct was addressed in the context of accessing child abuse images. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail, suspended for two years, after admitting to making indecent photographs of children between April and June 2015. As part of his rehabilitation, he was required to attend 35 days of specialized sessions aimed at addressing his behavior. Judge Tony Briggs emphasized the seriousness of the matter, stating that the sessions would be uncomfortable but necessary to convey the gravity of the offense, which involved the suffering of children.

Meanwhile, Timothy Burke, a 56-year-old resident of Guisborough, was also brought before Teesside Crown Court after pleading guilty to making and possessing indecent photographs of children. Police executed a search warrant at his home on June 18 of the previous year, uncovering a collection of DVDs, compact discs, and various internet devices. Burke’s collection included a significant number of images: 15 at Level A, 26 at Level B, and 56 at Level C. Prosecutor Harry Hadfield noted that Burke had been researching indecent images of children and admitted during a second interview that the entire collection belonged to him. An aggravating factor in his case was the discovery of a 23-minute movie among the materials, indicating a serious level of offending. Burke’s case underscores the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to combat online child exploitation and the importance of judicial measures to address such offenses.