Donna Henry

A 47-year-old woman from Middlesbrough has been convicted for possessing indecent images of a child after police discovered the material on her mobile phone following a tip-off about a related video uploaded to YouTube.

The case came to light when Cleveland Police were alerted to the video, prompting officers to seize and forensically examine Donna Henry's digital devices. The examination revealed seven indecent images of a child in Category B, with three showing close-ups of the child's genitals and an adult's hand visible in some photographs. Prosecutor Becky Jane described the images as featuring a young child's genitals, emphasising the grim nature of the content during the trial at Teesside Crown Court.

Henry, who resides in Middlesbrough, was found guilty following a trial. Although she accepted the images were on her phone, she maintained she did not know who had taken them. In mitigation, Temitayo Dasaolu noted that Henry has faced mental health difficulties but understands the seriousness of the offences. Dasaolu added that Henry acknowledged having knowledge of the photographs being taken and that she would have seen them at some point, though she denied taking them herself.

Recorder Paul Reid, presiding over the sentencing, stated that the offence merited a custodial sentence, describing the photographs as 'the most unpleasant images of a child that were on a mobile phone in your possession.' He highlighted that Henry had been seen by police a few years prior and that the offence occurred even earlier. Despite this, Reid imposed a 12-month sentence in custody, suspended for two years, with a requirement to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activities. Additionally, Henry was made subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for the same duration.

The conviction underscores ongoing efforts by Cleveland Police to combat child sexual exploitation through digital forensics and public tip-offs. This case was reported by The Northern Echo, with coverage by crime reporter Graeme Hetherington.