MMS client receives Community Order for Indecent Images

Case study summary

Our client was a professional man nearly reaching retirement. He had never been in trouble before but went through a difficult period of depression at the time when he downloaded indecent images. We submitted mitigation for him and convinced the court to impose a community order.

Case study

Our client had worked his entire life and had no experience with the police or court system. He was nearing the end of his professional and planned to take retirement when following a bereavement, he fell into a period of depression.

It was during that time that he developed a pornography addiction which then led to viewing indecent images.

The police attended his address and seized electronic devices. He was eventually charged with possession of indecent images under section 160 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1978.

He contacted our office for initial advice and we were then instructed to represent him for court proceedings. We requested the evidence from the prosecution straight away and advised him in detail. He confirmed he intended to plead guilty at which point we took extensive background information to prepare the strongest mitigation in advance of the court hearing.

We instructed an expert barrister as his advocate to represent him in court. The court was persuaded that he was genuinely remorseful and very low risk. On that basis, he avoided any form of prison sentence and was given a community order as his punishment. He told us that he felt he had been a second chance and we had helped him through an awful period in his life.