October 9, 2017 9.22 am This story is over 77 months old

Lincoln man avoids jail after admitting viewing indecent images of young girls

He has been given a suspended jail sentence.

| Image: Stock

A former radiographer from Lincoln who admitted viewing indecent images of young girls on his home computer when he was drunk has been given a suspended jail sentence.

David Hall, 53, was caught after police received information about a computer IP address linked to the home where he was living in the Lincoln area.

Lincoln Crown Court heard Hall was present with his wife when police attended to search the property.

Lisa Hardy, prosecuting, said: “When police explained the reason why they were there Hall immediately admitted he was responsible.”

Officers seized a laptop computer which was found to contain seven indecent images of children in the most serious category of A, eleven indecent images in category B and 50 indecent images in category C. Five prohibited images were also discovered.

Miss Hardy said the images included indecent images of young girls aged between six and 14 years old.

During police interview Hall was “very candid” about what he had been doing, the court was told.

Miss Hardy added: “He accepted that although others had access to the laptop, the images were his.

“He said he had been drawn to adult pornography since the internet, but things had escalated. He admitted viewing the images when he was drunk and then deleting them when he was sober, and thought he had a problem with alcohol.”

Hall, who had no previous convictions, admitted three charges of making indecent images of children and one charge of possessing prohibited images between June 2013 and January 2017.

Miss Hardy said the prosecution accepted there was a low number of images and that there had been no distribution.

Mark Watson, mitigating, told the court Hall had worked as a radiographer for 25 years working with people being treated for cancer.

Mr Watson said: “He has now moved away from Lincolnshire because of the shame this has brought to his family. He is now living with his father in Wales.

“His wife remains supportive, but it is too difficult for them to live together. He says she is a good person and he has done a bad thing.”

Passing sentence Recorder John Hardy QC told Hall his co-operation with the authorities, his guilty pleas and previous good character had spared him an immediate jail term.

Hall, now of Ty Newydd, Holyhead, Anglesey, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for 12 months and a 60 day rehabilitation order. He must also register as a Sex Offender for ten years and was made the subject of a five year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.