Gary Williams, a 45-year-old undertaker from Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, concealed a disturbing 'darker side' that involved the possession and downloading of a vast collection of illegal material, including hundreds of indecent images of children and extreme pornographic content. His activities came to light following intelligence received by Merseyside Police regarding the sharing of such images on social media platforms, prompting officers to raid his home on Warbreck Road on 18 September 2023.
During the search, police seized several electronic devices, including Williams' iPhone, which was found to contain 542 indecent images of children. This horrific cache included 130 category A images and 193 videos—the most serious category, depicting penetrative sexual abuse of very young children, including babies being restrained and raped. Additionally, there were 114 category B images (including 40 videos) and 75 category C images (including 23 videos). The collection extended to three prohibited cartoon or CGI images of child abuse, 352 images of bestiality, and two images showing sexual interference with corpses, highlighting the depraved extent of his interests.
Investigations revealed that Williams had been actively using Skype and the Telegram messaging app to communicate with other individuals involved in sharing such material. In one chilling exchange, he inquired about 'taboo videos' and specified his interest in girls aged 'five plus', responding affirmatively to content involving even younger children. When interviewed by detectives, Williams admitted to participating in chatrooms and downloading the images but initially downplayed the severity of his actions, claiming it 'wasn't what he was after'.
Williams appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on 4 December 2025, where he pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images of children, three counts of making indecent images of children, two counts of possession of extreme pornographic images, and possession of prohibited images of children. Represented by Olivia Beesley, his defence highlighted his previous good character, stable employment at a funeral directors, property ownership, and community involvement, including volunteering. Beesley noted Williams' tragic loss of both parents in 2007, his loneliness, and his expressed remorse, stating he was 'disgusted with himself' and eager to address the 'root cause' of his behaviour through rehabilitation.
Sentencing him, Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC acknowledged the 'significant quantity of illegal material', including the particularly disturbing category A images and necrophilic content. The judge praised Williams' eventual recognition of his problem, remorse, and positive character references from an amateur dramatics group and a former colleague at Santander bank, which described him as warm, enthusiastic, committed, and compassionate. Despite crossing the custody threshold, the judge opted for a suspended sentence, deeming rehabilitation more effective for public protection given Williams' lack of prior convictions and low risk assessment in the pre-sentence report.
- Williams received a 12-month imprisonment sentence, suspended for 18 months.
- He was ordered to complete a Building Choices programme, a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 15 days, 200 hours of unpaid work, and a three-month curfew monitored electronically from 9pm to 6am.
- Further measures included signing the sex offenders' register for 10 years and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
The case, reported by Liverpool Echo Crown Court reporter Adam Everett, underscores the hidden dangers of online depravity and the judiciary's balance between punishment and rehabilitation in addressing such offences.