Ryan Neary

A university student from Accrington, Lancashire, has avoided a prison sentence after admitting to downloading and possessing indecent images of children over nearly two years. Ryan Neary, aged 20, appeared at Burnley Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to possessing prohibited images of children, making indecent images, and possessing extreme pornographic images.

The court heard that police officers attended Neary's home on Burnley Road in August 2018, seizing three devices including phones and a computer. Upon examination, the devices were found to contain nine category A images—the most serious classification—two category B images, and 58 category C images. Additionally, nine prohibited images of children and two extreme pornographic images were recovered. Prosecutor Emma Kehoe informed the court that the children depicted in the images were as young as 12 years old, and none of the material had been distributed online.

Neary's defence was presented by barrister Richard Prew, who highlighted a detailed pre-sentence report recommending intervention by the probation service rather than custody. Prew explained that Neary had only just turned 18 when he began searching for the images, attributing his actions in part to a lack of maturity and a troubled family background. 'The defendant had only just turned 18 when he started searching for these images. There was certainly a lack of maturity,' Prew stated. The report described Neary as a young man who had never known his father well, with a substitute father figure providing little support, leading to an uneasy relationship and Neary becoming a loner who spent much time in his bedroom using devices illegally.

Regarding Neary's education, Prew noted that his university had suspended him for two weeks but would reinstate him if he avoided an immediate custodial sentence. The name of the university was not disclosed in court. Sentencing Judge Sara Dodd acknowledged the severity of the offences, stating: 'For almost two years you accessed illegal images on your computer. Those include images of young children. They are not actors. They are somebody’s sister, half-sister, granddaughter and daughter. They are very real victims of your sordid, sexual interest. There can be no other explanation for your collection.'

Instead of imprisonment, Neary was handed a two-year community order, including a 40-day rehabilitation activity requirement and mandatory attendance on the sexual offender treatment programme. He was also required to sign the sex offenders' register and was made subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order. This outcome, reported by Lancs Live on 22 November 2019, allows Neary to resume his studies while undergoing rehabilitation.