Ex-Harrogate headteacher found guilty of making indecent images of children.

Former Harrogate Headteacher Found Guilty of Making Indecent Images of Children

Matthew Shillito, 42, has been found guilty of making indecent images of children. He pleaded not guilty to the charges but was convicted by York Magistrates Court.

Shillito was found guilty of making 20 Category B images and 3,829 Category C images between December 3, 2012, and December 31, 2015.

Despite being appointed headteacher of Western Primary School in 2019, and previously serving as headteacher across the Goldsborough Sicklinghall Federation of schools, none of the offenses were related to his employment.

District Judge Adrian Lower, who presided over the case, stated that the evidence showed Shillito had a "corrosive, addictive interest in child pornography."

The court heard that while there was no evidence that Shillito downloaded the material onto his laptop, he had accessed sites containing indecent images. Indicative terms found on his laptop suggested an intent to access these images.

Police arrested Shillito and seized two computers from his address on January 4, 2020. A Dell laptop and a MacBook Pro, containing a backup from an iPad mini, were recovered.

Zoe Warboys, a digital forensic investigation officer at North Yorkshire Police, testified that while the defendant might not have been aware of the cache, he could have only obtained the images by accessing the material.

A Russian website, frequently accessed on the Dell laptop, was identified as a site containing indecent images of children. The site allowed users to upload and view albums of images.

The court heard that Shillito visited pages potentially containing indecent images 30 times, despite repeatedly denying the charges throughout the case.

District Judge Lower adjourned sentencing until September 7, bailing Shillito but warning him that all sentencing options, including jail time, would be considered.