April 2016

Northampton man avoids jail after second conviction for viewing indecent images of children

A Northampton man who downloaded more than 1,000 indecent images of children has been ordered to complete a sex offenders’ treatment programme.

Peter Trimmer, aged 35, received an eight-month prison sentence in 2007 after he admitted 14 offences of making indecent photographs of children.

Northampton Crown Court heard on Wednesday that, as part of his supervision order, a police officer visited his home in 2010 and found indecent images on his computer.

The computer equipment was seized and analysis revealed it contained a series of indecent photographs of children, including 20 of the most serious category.

Police also analysed a laptop and a disc drive and found hundreds of other indecent photographs.

In total, police found 90 level A photographs, 188 level B and 958 level C.

Lynsey Knott, mitigating, said Trimmer had not been offered the sexual offenders’ treatment programme last time he was in court and was willing to complete it.

Trimmer pleaded guilty to six charges of downloading indecent images of children.

His Honour Judge Timothy Smith, sentencing, said by viewing the images Trimmer was perpetuating the physical abuse of children.

He said the three-year community order would not be the “easy option” for Trimmer. He also ordered Trimmer, of First Lane, Northampton, to complete 300 hours unpaid work.

July 2007

Man ‘hated himself’ after making child sexual absue pictures

A 26-year-old man has been jailed for eight months for making indecent pictures of children.

When police examined computers used by Peter Trimmer they found still images and movie clips ranging from levels one to five – the most serious level.

Canterbury Crown Court heard that Trimmer, of Edith Road, Ramsgate, last looked at the images about six months before his arrest and had stopped what he was doing because he didn’t like who he was any more and hated himself.

Trimmer appeared for sentence at Canterbury Crown Court having admitted 14 charges of making indecent images of children between March 2004 and April 2005 and asked for one further offence to be considered, involving more than 600 images.

In total there were about 1,000 images, of which 25 were level five and 100 level four.

James Fletcher, prosecuting, said Trimmer would go into chat rooms and pretend to be a young girl and speak to men.

They talked about sexual things and it excited him sexually. He received pictures of men and naked girls which he saved in folders.

Dominic Webber, for Trimmer, said matters had been hanging over him for a long time. He was fully co-operative in interviews and didn’t attempt to minimise the offences.

Trimmer got a thrill out of pretending to be a young person. He would contact adults rather than young children which was an odd feature of the case. Although it went on for some years, he stopped it prior to his arrest.

Jailing Trimmer, Judge Michael O’Sullivan, said: “By downloading such material, you effectively encourage the abuse of such children.”

Trimmer must take part in a sex offender treatment programme and will be subject to a sexual offences prevention order and on the Sex Offender’s Register for 10 years.