Man attacked by masked vigilante over child sex images
A man was attacked in his home by a masked vigilante after he admitted possessing indecent images of children, a court heard.
Peter Elliott Thorpe, 27, had been the victim of an aggravated burglary at his flat following publicity surrounding his case, Mold Crown Court was told.
Thorpe, of New Road, Newtown, admitted at a hearing in January 17 charges of making and possessing indecent images after films depicting child sex abuse were found on his computer. Some of the films involved babies and toddlers but Thorpe said that he was only attracted to teenage girls and had deleted those involving younger children.
He was given a three-year community order so that he can attend a programme aimed at rehabilitating him.
Judge Rhys Rowlands said that was a more constructive option than a relatively short prison sentence which meant that no work would be done with him.
The judge said that Thorpe had also to an extent been punished by others in the community. He added: "That of course is something that cannot be justified at all.
"That said, your punishment and the fact you have been badly treated by others pales into insignificance compared to what those little children were put through."
He described the films as "filthy material" and said that babies and very young children were abused for the sexual gratification of others behind their computer screens often thousands of miles away.
"If people like you did not access them, it would not happen in the first place," the judge told him.
Thorpe was ordered to register with the police as a sex offender for five years and a five-year sexual offences prevention order was also made to curb future activity.
Defending barrister Oliver King said that when his client admitted the offences it created some significant local publicity. A masked offender had gone to his flat and had assaulted him.
That matter had been reported to the police and was being in investigated, the court heard.
As a result he had left that flat because of his concern about further reprisals.
Mr King added: "Of course, he only has himself to blame for that. But I make the point that it has brought home to him the disgust with which society views such offences."
Thorpe was a young man who found it difficult to have relationships, he was reclusive and had low self-esteem, Mr King said.
The offences occurred when living independently for the first time and he took sanctuary in the internet.
What started off as viewing adult pornography ended up on him developing an interest in child pornography.
Mr Oliver stressed that his client had downloaded images in bulk and deleted the worst kind because he had no interest in babies or children as young as four or six.
Prosecuting barrister Caroline Harris said police had executed a search warrant at his home in Newtown and had found a number of indecent video films of children on his computer. In all there were 840 videos, 450 were of the most serious category A.
