A convicted Banbury paedophile, James Clarke, previously punished for possessing child sex abuse photographs, has reappeared in court following the discovery of further images on his gadgets by the police.
James Clarke, also referred to as James Williams, was present at Oxford Crown Court on Friday (January 10) for sentencing on three charges of possession of an indecent photograph of a child, one count of possession of forbidden photos of a child, and one act of disseminating an image of a child.
The 25-year-old received a community order in May of the previous year for analogous offences.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) stated that it was ‘unlikely’ he would face additional charges.
Upon completion of the study of James Clarke’s devices, law enforcement discovered that he had disseminated a 7GB file including videos of child sexual abuse.
James Clarke, residing at Elizabeth Rise, Banbury, received a 16-month prison term, suspended for two years, from Judge Ian Pringle, who characterised the punishment as a ‘rather unique case’ because to the protracted delay in charging.
He stated, “I was unaware of the distribution.” This is a grave issue and entails a minimum sentence of three years.
“Nonetheless, I can appropriately suspend the sentence due to the significant likelihood of rehabilitation and the compelling mitigating factors.”
At sentencing, prosecutor Tulay Hodge stated that an additional 315 Category A photographs, along with 131 Category B images and 66 Category C images, were discovered on the defendant’s devices.
It was also revealed that James Clarke had utilised a Russian photo-sharing platform in conjunction with a substantial data-sharing site.
In October 2022, Clarke transmitted 7GB of child sexual assault photographs to an undercover police officer. Approximately 164 videos were present.
James Clarke was apprehended on January 17, 2023, although was charged with only a few counts, despite his defence attorney asserting that the inquiry had concluded by the date of his initial sentencing.
In her defence of the client, she asserted that the case was ‘somewhat exceptional’ owing to the postponement of additional charges.
The court determined that James Clarke experienced ‘educational challenges’ and lacked confidence in school, resulting in his ostracism.
His attorney revealed that he had received a diagnosis of autism and collaborates closely with adult social services.
She stated that he aspires to secure long-term employment and has made ‘great progress’ with his community order, demonstrating more independence.
In addition to his suspended term, James Clarke remains bound by his first five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which has three and a half years remaining.
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