THOMAS YOUNG CAUGHT IN CARLISLE BY AI FOR VIEWING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
Thomas Young, a 34-year-old man with a criminal history linked to Carlisle, was recently apprehended after an artificial intelligence system detected him violating a court-ordered restriction on his online activity.The case highlights the ongoing challenges law enforcement faces in monitoring and prosecuting offenders who attempt to circumvent legal restrictions through digital means.
Young’s criminal record dates back over a decade when he appeared at Carlisle Crown Court and was sentenced for encouraging a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual acts.
As part of his sentence, he was subjected to a stringent sexual offences prevention order (SOPO), which imposed severe limitations on his internet usage and required ongoing monitoring.
This order was intended to prevent further offenses and ensure that Young’s online activities remained under scrutiny for an indefinite period.
Despite these measures, Young repeatedly breached the terms of his SOPO.
He was brought back to court twice in recent years—once in 2023 and again in early February—where he received a suspended prison sentence.
However, within days of avoiding immediate incarceration, Young once again violated the court’s restrictions, prompting further investigation.
According to prosecutor Brendan Burke, police were first alerted to Young’s suspicious online activity on March 15 of this year.
The alert was triggered by e-safe global software installed on Young’s phone, which uses artificial intelligence to monitor and capture screenshots of potentially illicit activity.
The software flagged two indecent images classified as Category C, which were logged by the system.
Just three days later, the AI detected an additional four images, along with a highly serious Category A image involving a girl aged between 12 and 14 years.
All these images had been accessed via the Telegram messaging platform.
Further analysis revealed that Young had been actively installing and uninstalling the Telegram app multiple times—around a dozen instances—between February 11 and March 18.
This period coincided with his recent court appearances and indicated a deliberate attempt to evade monitoring, directly breaching the terms of his SOPO, which mandated full transparency of his internet activity and history.
In addition to the online activity violations, Young was found to have failed in his legal obligation to disclose two online usernames that had been active around the start of the year.
These omissions further underscored his ongoing non-compliance with the conditions set by the court.
When brought before the court, Young admitted to making indecent photographs of a child, breaching the SOPO, and twice violating the notification requirements.
Prosecutor Burke explained that the Category A image was obtained from a video lasting over two and a half hours, which Young had accessed and viewed.
During the hearing, defense lawyer Jeff Smith argued that Young was unable to provide a clear explanation for his actions.
He described Young as feeling lonely and suggested that his use of cocaine might have impaired his judgment, leading to his misconduct.
However, these mitigating factors did little to sway the court’s decision.
Judge Nicholas Barker sentenced Young to 18 months in prison.
Additionally, he imposed new strict court orders that will restrict Young’s activities and require him to regularly provide police with personal information for the next ten years.
The judge emphasized the seriousness of Young’s violations, stating, “You knew that by doing those actions you were likely putting yourself, not just at risk, but of receiving an immediate custodial sentence.” Young, who resides in Warwick Square, Carlisle, now faces a significant period of incarceration and extended supervision, reflecting the gravity of his repeated breaches and the ongoing threat posed by his actions.
