Adam Dodden

A 40-year-old man from Wiveliscombe, Somerset, has been handed a suspended sentence following his guilty plea to serious child sexual offences involving the creation and possession of a vast collection of indecent images.

Adam Dodden, residing at Plain Pond in Wiveliscombe, appeared at Taunton Crown Court, sitting at North Somerset Courthouse, on 7 March 2025. He pleaded guilty to three counts: the production of more than 110,000 indecent images of children, possession of an extreme pornographic image involving an animal, and possession of 97 prohibited images of children. The offences spanned from December 2010 to September 2024.

The case came to light last year when Avon and Somerset Police received intelligence indicating that indecent images of children were being accessed and downloaded from an address in Wiveliscombe. On 9 September 2024, the force's Internet Child Abuse Team executed a search warrant at the property. Dodden was arrested at the scene and, during his interview that same day, admitted full responsibility for the offences, expressing disgust at his actions.

A forensic examination of Dodden's electronic devices revealed a substantial collection amassed over 14 years: 1,343 Category A images (the most serious), 1,116 Category B images, and 108,036 Category C images. Additionally, three extreme pornographic images were found. Earlier, on 6 January 2025, Dodden had pleaded guilty to five offences at Taunton Magistrates' Court and was released on conditional bail pending sentencing.

At the Crown Court hearing, Judge [Name not specified in article] sentenced Dodden to 12 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. He was also subjected to a 45-day rehabilitation activity requirement, a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years, and a sex offender notification requirement for 10 years. Dodden is indefinitely barred from working with children and must not have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 or live in the same household as a minor. He was ordered to pay £100 in costs and a £100 victim surcharge.

Avon and Somerset Police confirmed that there is no evidence Dodden ever made physical contact with any children; all offences were related to online activity. Investigating officer Detective Constable Benn Murphy stated: "Accessing or downloading indecent imagery of children is not a victimless crime; perpetrators often don’t stop to think about the lives of young children destroyed by the abuse that takes place behind it. These images depict the worst possible forms of child abuse and those perpetrators who access them create a market for further images to be produced." The force emphasised the ongoing commitment to tackling online child exploitation through specialised teams.