Indecent photos found after insurance worker leaves mobile phone in toilet
AN Admiral Insurance worker was discovered to have thousands of indecent images on his mobile phone, after accidentally leaving it in a toilet cubicle at work, where it was found by a colleague.
The phone was returned to Timothy Coulson, of Parc Wern Road, Sketty, after he returned to the washroom to look for it, but images of girls aged 8 – 14 had already been found by the colleague who had accessed it in a bid to find out its owner.
But it wasn’t reported until 18 months later, after the colleague who discovered it shared concerns with other workers, and decided to contact police.
The 39-year-old appeared at Swansea Crown Court for sentencing, after pleading guilty to nine charges of possession of indecent pictures of children.
They included 246 in category A, depicting the most serious abuse, 262 in category B, and 705 in category C, although the court heard the images were representative of in excess of 28,000 found on his mobile phone.
Prosecuting, Tom Scapens said Coulsen had admitted the charges, and added: “There were numerous images on the device, from nude images to those at the other end of the scale, which he described as ‘pretty unpleasant'”.
Mitigating, Steve James said Coulson had undergone psychiatric assessment, which concluded there was a probable underlying autistic spectrum disorder and he had expressed real remorse.
He added: “He denies there is specific sexual stimulus but saw it as a challenge to access illicit material….He has sought private treatment, and realises there is a victim regardless of his situation.”
The court was also told that doctors who had assessed Coulson concluded he would struggle in a prison environment, with one adding ‘constant suicide watch would be essential in his case’.
Sentencing, Christopher Vosper QC made Coulson subject to a three year community order, with a supervision order and was placed on the sex offenders register.
