August 2010 Fireman found with child porn A fireman was found with child pornography and “extreme” sex images on his computer after police raided his home. Trevor Maggs, 48, who pleaded guilty to a total of ten counts of possessing and making indecent images of children, was handed a three year community order at St Albans Crown Court today. Maggs, of South Oxhey, was arrested after a police raid on February 23. On his computer officers found numerous pornographic images of children. Most of the images found were legally classified as level one, the least serious. One of the images, however, was at level five – depicting the most serious sexual offences against children. Other images depicted adults engaged in acts of torture and bestiality – described as “grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character”. Maggs, who did not work for Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, pleaded guilty to the seven charges of child porn and three relating to adult images. He told police he used his computer to look at adult pornography, and found the images of children by accident. He also claimed that he did not search for the images of children, arguing that they came up automatically as he entered searches for adult pornography. Boredom and curiosity, he said, had led him to look at the images. Maggs, who hopes to emigrate to New Zealand, was given a three-year community order by Judge Stephen Gullick. During that time he must attend a sex offender treatment programme and will be supervised by probation officers. He must comply with a SOPO (sexual offences prevention order) limiting use of computers and allowing access to his premises to the police. Judge Gullick said: “You are 48, with no previous convictions and a good job, although you have been suspended from it and it looks like you may lose it, but that is not a matter for me. “You have shown remorse and are previous good character and the nature of the images means I am able to take a course which does not involve the loss of liberty.” Maggs was ordered to pay £340 costs.