A Carlisle pensioner who told an undercover police officer he had a sexual interest in children and bestiality has appeared in court to be sentenced.
Peter Ward, 70, pleaded guilty at Carlisle Magistrates Court earlier this month to a charge of possessing an extreme pornographic image.
He used his home computer to access ‘dark-web’ chat-rooms and unwittingly told an undercover police officer he had a sexual interest in children and bestiality.
The court was told how on May 15 last year he was chatting over the Internet to an under-cover police officer said Mrs Pam Ward prosecuting during the first hearing.
Ward had not personally participated either sexually abusing children or bestiality, but he had watched children being abused.
He then sent a pornographic image to the under-cover officer, an obscene image of a woman engaging in a sex act with a dog. He later admitted that he found the image on an online chat room the court was told.
Malcolm Dodd’s on behalf of Ward told the court these sites on the dark-web unknown to my client, are monitored and on past experience, generally speaking they are monitored by the National Crime Agency, this is not child pornography, its extreme pornography, there is a statutory difference between the two offences Mr Dodd said. “If this was child pornography, you (the Court) would not be sentencing him; he would be off to Crown Court. Nerveless, it is serious stuff,” the first hearing was told.
The pensioner of Orton Road, Carlisle, maintained that what he said was “pure fantasy” and pure escapism, but this offence has ruined his life, the court was told Ward also denies he has a sexual interest in children and denies a sexual interest involving animals.”
Ward is completely ashamed of the situation he’s found himself in and is very sorry, He’s never going to have another computer in his home and he’s leaned his lesson the court was told.
The lawyer also told the magistrates this offence as “effectively” ruined his life, he lives at home with his wife and he is ashamed, but he has family backing and is now retired from work.
Magistrates left the court, returning after 30-minutes from reading a pre-sentence report prepared by the Probation Service, Ward was sentenced to 8-weeks in custody, this was suspended for one-year, he also has to attend 20-days rehabilitation course run by the Probation Service, he has court costs to pay of £85 and a victims surcharge of £115.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five-years, part of this order states he must not own or use a computer or any device that can be connected to the Internet.
