John Gillon, 61, of Poole, received a suspended sentence for sharing numerous child abuse images found on his phone.
The police learned about Gillon because of images online. Someone uploaded them to a Twitter account. This account connected to Gillon’s phone.
Police went to his house in November 2022. Gillon admitted he had the images, but he said it wasn’t for sexual pleasure.
Gillon faced charges for making and sharing these images. This means he downloaded and distributed them.
Police found terrible images on his phone. There were 32 images and 53 videos showing the worst kind of child abuse, which they called category A. Also, they found 24 category B images and one video. Furthermore, police discovered 981 category C images and one video.
Gillon also shared some of these images. He shared 167 category A images, plus he sent 65 category B and 172 category C images. Police found Gillon using Telegram, a platform often used for illegal things.
Some children in the images appeared very young. Some looked only two years old. His lawyer said Gillon now understands his actions, stating he sought help for his problem.
He worked his whole life, once driving a bus. Now he is a cleaner. He knows he did wrong and improved himself.
The judge noted the number of images and also mentioned the children’s young ages. Moving images made the crimes worse.
The judge told Gillon his actions fuel abuse and said hurting such young kids is appalling. He also said Gillon seemed deeply ashamed.
Gillon admitted to making and sharing child abuse images. The judge gave him a two-year suspended sentence, meaning he avoids jail if he behaves. He must undergo alcohol monitoring for 120 days. He also needs 50 days of rehab and 200 hours of unpaid work.
For ten years, Gillon is on the sex offenders register. Plus, he has a sexual harm prevention order. The judge called Gillon “very fortunate.” Similar crimes often mean a long prison term. He thinks Gillon can get better.