Samuel Branthwaite

A 30-year-old man from Bury St Edmunds has pleaded guilty to serious child sex offences involving the possession and distribution of thousands of indecent images of children. Samuel Branthwaite, of Ashwell Road, was arrested following a police raid on his home on 5 October 2021, after authorities received information that his email account had been used to upload such material to the internet.

Suffolk Magistrates' Court heard from prosecutor Katherine Emms that officers seized electronic devices during the search. Branthwaite immediately confessed to the offences upon the officers' arrival. Forensic analysis revealed a total of 2,274 indecent images: 822 classified as category A (the most serious), 803 as category B, and 649 as category C. Additionally, 179 prohibited images of children and 80 extreme pornographic images involving animals were found on his devices.

Further investigation showed that Branthwaite had distributed indecent images to others online. He sent five category A images, two category B, and two category C to a user named 'JohnJohn999000' via the Kik messaging platform. He also shared one category A image with another individual and two category B images with a third user through the Wickr application.

On Friday, 15 July 2022, Branthwaite appeared at Suffolk Magistrates' Court and pleaded guilty to eight charges: three counts of making indecent images of children, three counts of distributing indecent images of children, one count of possessing prohibited images of children, and one count of possessing extreme pornographic images. Ms Emms informed the court that the sentencing starting point for these offences is three years' custody, stating that the magistrates' powers were insufficient for the gravity of the case.

The magistrates declined jurisdiction and committed the matter to Ipswich Crown Court for sentencing on a date to be fixed. A pre-sentence report was ordered from the Probation Service, and Branthwaite was granted conditional bail. He is now subject to interim notification requirements under sex offender legislation following his guilty pleas. The case was reported by the Bury Mercury, with details emerging from the court proceedings in Bury St Edmunds.