Downloaded nearly 1,200 indecent images of children aged as young as five.

Sex Offender Spared Jail Due to Police Delay in Sheffield Case

A sex offender who was caught with nearly 1,200 indecent images of children, some as young as five, was spared jail today following a judge's ruling that police had caused an "unjust delay" in the case. Toni Prince, 55, of Infirmary Road, Upperthorpe, admitted to downloading the images, including some depicting child rape. Police also discovered a disturbing handwritten table in her bedside drawer containing words like "rape" and "torture" during a search of her home.

Judge Peter Kelson QC, presiding over the case, acknowledged the seriousness of Prince's actions but expressed concern about the delay in bringing her to justice, stating that police had accepted full responsibility for the delay. Despite admitting her crimes on June 14, 2016, Prince was not brought to court until April 16, 2020.

Judge Kelson sentenced Prince to six months in prison, suspended for one year. She was also placed on a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and given a 34-day rehabilitation requirement. The judge cited the "unjust delay" as a mitigating factor in his decision to suspend the sentence.

Prince had pleaded guilty to charges of making indecent images of children, possessing prohibited images of children, and possessing extreme pornographic images. The images downloaded by Prince were categorized as follows: 108 in the most serious category A, 90 in category B, and 993 in category C. She also had 53 images of "extreme pornography" and 337 prohibited images of children, which the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) defines as non-photographic images, including cartoons, manga, and drawings.

The court heard that South Yorkshire Police submitted a file to the CPS on August 5, 2016. However, the CPS requested further details about the content found on the devices seized from Prince's home. Despite repeated requests from the CPS, police did not resubmit the file with the requested evidence until August 15, 2018, resulting in a two-year delay.

Ian Goldsack, Prince's defense attorney, argued that his client had been a victim of childhood abuse and had made significant progress since her arrest by attending numerous counseling sessions to address the issues that led to her accessing child pornography. He presented a statement from Prince's counselor, who described her as a "most vulnerable" client but also the most "committed" to tackling her problems.

The University of Sheffield, where Prince was pursuing a PhD, was informed of the investigation following her arrest. When the university sought an update last year, it was incorrectly told that no charges were being brought against Prince. This information was relayed to Prince, further compounding the delay.

Gurdial Singh, the prosecutor, attributed the delay to "negligence" on the part of the investigating officers.