Robert Esson, a 41-year-old resident of Newton-in-Bowland in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, was jailed for possessing and distributing indecent images of children. Esson had a prior conviction in 2015 for similar offences, and despite being subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), he continued his illegal activities.
The offences came to light through an investigation by Lancashire Police. Esson downloaded a significant number of indecent images, including 74 category A images—the most serious category—with 53 being videos; 34 category B images, 19 of which were videos; and 38 category C images, three of which were videos. These images depicted children as young as a few months old, highlighting the severity of the abuse captured.
In addition to possession, Esson distributed an indecent image by sending a sexual video involving a child to an undercover decoy he believed to be a 12-year-old girl. He engaged in sexual conversations with the decoy across multiple messaging applications, encouraging her to switch platforms for further interaction. Esson also breached his SHPO by deleting his activity on the secure messaging app Teleguard, attempting to cover his tracks.
At Preston Crown Court, Danyal Ahmed, mitigating for Esson, explained that his client had struggled with employment since his 2015 conviction and lived in seclusion in a rural area, though this was not offered as an excuse. Ahmed noted Esson's expressed genuine remorse and hope that this would be his last time in custody.
Judge Robert Altham, in sentencing, emphasised the indirect harm caused by individuals like Esson who fuel the demand for such abusive material. 'It cannot be said that you have directly harmed any of those little babies who were sexually abused, but they are all living, breathing children, all of whom will have suffered pain, distress, and, almost certainly, long-term damage as a result of the abuse they sustained, which was recorded so people like you could watch it,' the judge stated. He added that Esson's persistent conduct posed a clear danger to the public, and supervision under the SHPO had proven insufficient to mitigate the risk.
Esson was imposed a six-year custodial sentence, extended by a three-year licence period, resulting in a total of nine years. The case was reported by the Lancashire Telegraph, with images provided by Lancashire Police.