Christopher Thomas Binns

Christopher Thomas Binns, a 53-year-old comedian recognised for his portrayal of hospital DJ Ivan Brackenbury on Channel 4's 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, appeared at Derby Crown Court after pleading guilty to serious sexual offences involving indecent images of children. The case, investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA), came to light following information received in October 2020 about uploads of category C indecent images linked to Binns's email address.

Between 26 March and 21 November 2020, Binns downloaded a vast quantity of material, including 104 category A images—the most severe classification—411 category B images, and 34,946 category C images, alongside three prohibited images and moving images in categories B and C. These were discovered across 39 seized devices, such as a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad, and hard drives, during a warrant execution at his home in Bole Hill, Calow, Derbyshire. Some images were inaccessible, totalling around 25,000 additional category C files. Prosecutor Lauren Fisher noted that while some images might be duplicates, the scale of the collection was substantial.

• The NCA's investigation began after detecting uploads on 14-15 October 2020.
• Binns, with no prior convictions, attributed the behaviour to an overdose of ADHD prescription medication inducing obsessive-compulsive disorder, claiming he had not sought out child pornography and had no sexual interest in children, supported by a passed polygraph test.
• In a statement to comedy news site Chortle, Binns expressed remorse: 'I am bitterly upset at the hurt this has caused my family, for which I take full responsibility. I will take my punishment for this and hope that my family are not further harmed by my actions.'

Judge Shaun Smith KC, delivering the sentence on Thursday, acknowledged the context of Covid-19 and medication but stressed the unacceptability of the offences. He stated: 'You are sickened by what it was that you were downloading and looking at and, quite frankly, you don't need me to tell you that you should be, because this kind of offending has real victims.' Deeming Binns no ongoing risk to the public and unlikely to reoffend, the judge imposed a 10-month custodial sentence suspended for 15 months, rather than immediate imprisonment. Additional measures included a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and registration on the sex offender register for the same period.

Mitigator Matthew Hayes highlighted Binns's law-abiding life post-incident and the medication's impact, without full elaboration in court. NCA operations manager Holly Triggs commented post-sentencing: 'Tom Binns deliberately collected a huge number of indecent images of children. Behind each one is an abused child who has had their wellbeing, innocence and privacy violated. Demand for images is a major driver of child sexual abuse globally, so we at the NCA are unrelenting in our commitment to protecting children from sexual abuse and bringing serious offenders to justice.' Binns's career includes nominations for the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2007 and appearances in BBC's Spooks and Channel 4's IT Crowd.