Man Sentenced for Possessing Vile Child Sex Abuse Images

Liam Wishart, 35, was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months, after pleading guilty to possession of indecent images of children and possession of a prohibited weapon.

Wishart, who lives in Bloxham with his mother, was arrested in June 2021 after police received a tip-off that he had been downloading child sex abuse material. A search of his bedroom, which was hidden behind a bookcase, uncovered 266 images in the most serious category, along with 115 in category B and 127 in category C.

The court heard that Wishart had searched the internet for indecent images of children and chatted with others who shared similar interests between 2016 and 2021. He initially denied the charges, claiming that friends had used his laptop and that his WiFi was not password protected.

Recorder Paul Reid, sentencing Wishart, said, "The pre-sentence report reveals that you have an understanding now of the particularly vile nature of this practice, because as I have said it is not just being in possession of these disgusting photographs. They are not just disgusting photographs. They show the commission of disgusting offences against children. Each of these hundreds of photographs is a further abuse."

In addition to the suspended sentence, Wishart was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work, up to 60 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and pay £425 in costs. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offender register for 10 years.