November 2013
Carlisle man had worse child abuse images judge had ever seen
A 66-year-old Carlisle man has been jailed for 28 months after a judge described the child abuse images stored on his computer as the worst he has encountered in his legal career.
Sidney Hepworth, also known as Ray Wilson, from Kingstown, was arrested after child abuse images and extreme pornography were found on his computer, Carlisle Crown Court heard.
He was sentenced after pleading guilty of 15 counts of downloading child pornography, two counts of possessing prohibited images of children and two counts of possessing extreme pornography.
He was put on the Sex Offender Register for life and barred from working with vulnerable adults and children.
After viewing the still and moving indecent images of children, Judge Peter Hughes QC said that the level five moving images – the most serious category – was the worst abuse of a child he had ever seen.
Speaking following the sentencing, detective chief inspector Nick Coughlan said: “I am pleased Hepworth is facing jail after the quantity and levels of images that were found in his possession.
“There is absolutely no excuse for his behaviour, and today justice has been served.”
