Paedophile uses hospital patient's laptop to search for 'cartoons' of child abuse.

Convicted Sex Offender Downloads Child Abuse Images in Hospital

David Driver, 47, a convicted sex offender, was hospitalized for a neck operation when he used another patient's laptop to download child abuse images. While in Castle Hill Hospital, Driver befriended an 80-year-old man and borrowed his laptop. After Driver returned the laptop, a nurse, aware of his status as a sex offender, reviewed the search history and discovered the disturbing content.

According to prosecutor Neil Coxon, Driver accessed the internet twice on August 1, 2020, at 1:10 AM and 1:20 AM. His searches included terms like "incest videos," "forbidden" sex, and references to "Lolita." He was found to have downloaded six computer-generated prohibited images, some of which would have been categorized as the most extreme and serious if they were photographs.

"Most related to child sexual activity, and in particular, incest," Mr. Coxon said. One image was allegedly of a child aged five. The images were accompanied by speech bubbles that "gave a graphic description of what was happening in the images."

When Driver was arrested on September 5, he admitted to using the search terms and viewing images of underage girls. He claimed he hadn't downloaded any images, arguing he hadn't "made" them. Driver pleaded guilty to possessing prohibited images, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

Driver has a history of sex offenses, having been sentenced to prison for sexual contact offenses in his late 20s and early 30s. He also has convictions for drugs and shop theft. Despite previous participation in sex offender treatment programs, Judge David Tremberg noted that "these appear to have worn off."

Driver's defense attorney, Paul Genney, argued that the images were "drawings, these are cartoons." While acknowledging that this might not make the offenses less serious, he emphasized that "no live children have been exploited."

Judge Tremberg sentenced Driver to a two-year community order, including 29 group sessions on the Horizon sex offender program, and up to 15 days of rehabilitation. He must register as a sex offender for five years and is subject to a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely.