TIMOTHY GREGG, HANDYMAN FROM SHOEBURY, JAILED IN BASILDON FOR VIEWING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

In November 2009, Timothy Gregg, a handyman from Blythe Avenue, Shoebury, was sentenced to prison for viewing obscene images of children being sexually abused. Gregg's conviction led to him moving out of his family home, as addressed at Basildon Crown Court.

The court heard that Gregg was found guilty of possessing 13 indecent images of children, some depicting sexual acts involving young boys and others involving abuse by adults. The images included some that showed children being sexually assaulted. Gregg, 38, was arrested after his employer, Michael Frank, returned early from a holiday in April 2007 and discovered that his laptop had been used to access child-porn websites.

Gregg had been employed as a handyman for Mr. Frank and his wife for three years and was entrusted with keys to their Chalkwell home to carry out decorating work while they vacationed in Spain. The couple expressed their feelings of being "angry, disgusted and saddened" by Gregg's actions, which betrayed the trust they had in him, as reported during the trial.

While Gregg denied any wrongdoing, a jury at Southend Crown Court found him guilty on July 13 of 13 charges related to possessing indecent images. He was sentenced to four months imprisonment and was placed under a sexual offences prevention order. Recorder John Dodd emphasized the gravity of possession of such images, stating, "Possession of such images should never become an accepted norm. By passing a prison sentence here it will help send a message to all those who are part of this vile trade that there are serious consequences for those who are involved in something which results in the sexual abuse of children."

In mitigation, lawyer Mark Roochove highlighted Gregg’s previously good character and his role in the community, particularly his efforts to assist elderly residents. He also noted that Gregg had a relatively small number of images and that his family life had been severely impacted, including restricted access to his children, as a consequence of his conviction.