Tomasz Willmington

A 21-year-old man from Wareham, Dorset, has been sentenced for possessing disturbing sexual images of children and animals, marking a swift reoffence following his prior conviction for similar crimes.

Tomasz Willmington was first convicted in July 2022 on five counts of possessing pornographic images of children. The following month, in August 2022, he was handed a three-year community order and made subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order, which permitted police monitoring of his devices. Despite this, officers were alerted in October 2022 that Willmington was accessing indecent material at his home on Northport Drive.

Prosecutor Althea Brook informed Bournemouth Crown Court that police discovered the images during routine monitoring of Willmington's laptop. The material included indecent photographs of children, a prohibited image of a child, and extreme pornographic images involving animals, specifically dogs. When interviewed, Willmington admitted to the offences and later entered guilty pleas to making an indecent photo of a child, possessing a prohibited image of a child, and possessing an extreme pornographic image.

Appearing for sentencing on 2 February 2024, Willmington's defence was presented by Kevin Hill, who noted that the defendant lives with his mother and has recently started working, which is aiding his rehabilitation. Hill stated: 'He takes this very seriously and is very sorry that he committed this offence again.'

Judge Susan Evans KC acknowledged the brevity of the interval between Willmington's initial sentencing and this reoffence, observing that he had not yet begun his rehabilitation programme at the time. However, she highlighted his subsequent progress after completing it, including maintaining employment to address social isolation linked to his offending. The judge remarked: 'You are relatively young and are maturing. There is no suggestion you have offended any further.'

Willmington received a 14-week custodial sentence, suspended for 15 months, along with a requirement to complete 100 hours of unpaid work. He was also subjected to a new sexual harm prevention order and a sex offender notification order, both lasting seven years. This case was reported by the Bournemouth Echo, based on proceedings at Bournemouth Crown Court.