AN Eden Valley man has been given a suspended prison sentence for possessing extreme pornographic images which were described by a judge as “dreadful”.
Police visited Mathew Roland Francis, 42, of Maulds Meaburn, after a woman raised concerns about disclosures made by his ex-girlfriend.
A laptop was seized and examined. This revealed Francis had been in possession of 354 extreme pornographic images – 253 of which remained accessible.
These showed adults involved in sexual activity mainly with horses and dogs, although one video featured an eel.
Francis made no comment when interviewed, but later admitted one charge of possessing extreme pornographic images, between early 2014 and January of 2018.
After reading a pre-sentence report containing mitigation, Judge James Adkin suspended an eight-month jail term for two years. Francis must complete a community order comprising a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement, and 150 hours’ unpaid work.
“These were dreadful images,” Judge Adkin told him. “By virtue of your collection you appear to be the sort of man who gets some sort of pleasure from viewing this sort of material.”
Francis must abide by the strict terms of a sexual harm prevention order for five years. His laptop will be destroyed.
