Former Teacher Receives Suspended Sentence for Child Abuse Images

Joshua Pope, a former secondary school teacher from Plymouth, has been handed a suspended sentence after admitting to downloading hundreds of indecent photos and videos of children engaged in sexual acts.

Pope, 26, pleaded guilty to three charges on June 11, 2023, at Plymouth Magistrates' Court. The charges involved making indecent photos of children in categories A, B, and C, with category A being the most serious and depraved.

Police received information linking Pope's Dropbox account to images of child sexual abuse. A search of his home on March 8, 2023, led to the seizure of multiple electronic devices, including iPhones, a hard drive, and a damaged Apple Mac Pro.

Investigators discovered a total of 276 category A images, including 210 moving images. They also found 214 category B images (127 moving) and 296 category C images (25 moving). These images were downloaded over a period of years, with the most recent downloads occurring on March 5, 2023.

During police interviews, Pope initially claimed he had "stumbled" upon the images "by accident" and deleted them immediately. However, he later admitted that he had actively clicked on links that he knew would lead to indecent images of children over the past two years.

Pope insisted that he had "no sexual interest in children" and attributed the downloads to "boredom and loneliness" and "feeling desensitized". He acknowledged downloading more explicit material just a week before his arrest.

The court heard that Pope had no prior criminal record and was considered to be of good character. His defense attorney argued that the police visit had been an "wake up call" and that his client's "obsession for searching for indecent images of children had got way out of control, especially during the isolation of the pandemic".

The attorney stated that Pope felt "relieved that he had been finally been caught and his secret was out in the open" and that he had been "able to deal with his sense of shame upon his family finding out". Pope had also lost his job as a secondary school teacher after the arrest.

Pope voluntarily sought therapy and engaged with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and the Stop It Now organisation to address his behavior. While denying a sexual interest in children, the defense acknowledged that this denial is a "familiar feature with offenders of this nature". Pope has since secured new employment as a "self-employed journalist and copywriter".

Judge Peter Johnson emphasized the severity of the crime, stating that Pope's actions had contributed to the sexual abuse of children by creating demand for this type of material. He highlighted the long-term harm inflicted on victims, both physically and psychologically.

Judge Johnson sentenced Pope to an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with the requirement to participate in a two-year supervision program and a 42-day accredited sex offender program. Pope was also ordered to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activities and 100 hours of unpaid work.

A Sexual Harm Prevention Order lasting 10 years was imposed, and Pope was informed that he would be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.