Steven Finall

A 45-year-old chef from Warrington has avoided immediate imprisonment after being discovered with a substantial collection of indecent images of children on his electronic devices. Steven Finall's case came to light following intelligence received by authorities regarding his suspected activities on the social media platform Snapchat.

On 13 January, police executed a search warrant at Finall's home in Warrington, seizing a Samsung tablet computer, a mobile phone, and a quantity of cocaine. A forensic examination of the devices revealed a total of 190 indecent images and videos, categorised as follows: 36 in category A (the most severe, including one depicting the rape of a two-year-old child), 32 in category B, and 122 in category C. Most of the material was found in cache files, indicating it had been deleted from the devices but remained recoverable.

Finall was charged with three counts of making indecent images of children (IIOC), one count of possessing IIOC, and one count of possession of cocaine. Appearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to all charges. Prosecuting, Christopher Hopkins detailed how the collection included some of the worst categorised child sex images, emphasising the horrific nature of the content.

In mitigation, defence counsel Simeon Evans highlighted Finall's strong work ethic as a chef at The Swan pub in Winwick, his lack of previous convictions, and his full acceptance of the charges during police interview. Recorder Mark Ainsworth, before passing sentence, addressed Finall directly: "You must understand that the court takes a very dim view of this sort of conduct. The point that needs to be emphasized, time and time again, is that behind each of those images is a child being sexually abused. If there was no marketplace for those images, and people like you looking on the internet searching for them, the abuse would not take place."

The judge noted the circumstances allowed for a suspended sentence due to Finall's good prospect of rehabilitation. He was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 35 days of rehabilitation activity, and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender registration for seven years. The court also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the seized devices and cocaine.

Following the hearing, The Swan pub issued a statement expressing shock: "We were utterly shocked and appalled to read headlines about a former member of our kitchen team, as this was the first time we had been made aware of his court case and sentencing. We can confirm he no longer works at our pub." The case was reported by the Warrington Guardian, based on proceedings at Liverpool Crown Court.