Offender spared jail after being caught with indecent images of children

Shaun Gibson, aged 51, was arrested after South Yorkshire Police visited an address in Barnsley and seized his computer equipment.

He follows another sex offender in Grimsby who avoided a prison sentence due to the coronavirus crisis.

Appearing at Sheffield Crown Court on June 23, Gibson pleaded guilty to four offences of making indecent photographs of children.

James Baird, prosecuting, told the court that information was received by police who attended an address in Grimethorpe, Barnsley.

Officers spoke to Gibson’s partner before seizing computer equipment.

Mr Baird said:

“Officers attended that address and spoke to the defendant’s partner and computer equipment was seized and he was located in Selby and arrested there and he immediately told officers he was responsible for using the computer and he had been looking at indecent images of children.”

A forensic examination of the computer revealed there were 66 category A, 43 category B and 35 category C images of children from between November 2006, and April 2011, according to Mr Baird, with category A being the most serious.

There were also more recent downloads.

Recorder Richard Wright QC told Gibson:

“An indecent image of a child captures a moment of real and terrible sexual abuse of a real child and there is no doubt those who view these images perpetuate the making of them because without an audience to view them there would not be a market to place them on the internet for people like you to view.”

However, Recorder Wright imposed a community order as an alternative to custody because he felt there was a sufficient prospect of rehabilitation.

Gibson was sentenced to a 24-month community order with a 30-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

He has also been placed on the Sex Offender Register and banned from working with children.