Council welfare worker admits child porn charges

AN education worker for a Yorkshire council has admitted possessing almost 800 child porn images.

John Coxhead, 58, was caught with the indecent pictures - some at the highest level of seriousness - while he was working for East Riding Council where he was responsible for placing youngsters on training programmes.

His job as "work related learning co-ordinator" involved finding training places for 15 and 16-year-olds who had been permanently excluded from school.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Coxhead, who held his position for 12 years, blamed pressures at work for prompting him to look at the images.

He has pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court to 12 counts of making and possessing 798 indecent images of children.

Coxhead, of Shiptonthorpe, East Yorks., said he suffered a breakdown six years ago, which was put down to depression and stress at work.

Although he eventually returned to his job, he said he continued to suffer ill health caused by work pressures, including budget cuts, staffing shortages and being investigated for almost 12 months over a complaint involving the commissioning of a contract, which was eventually dismissed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Coupled with health problems suffered by his wife, he said he became almost suicidal. Coxhead said: "I was in such a state that I wasn't sleeping or even thinking properly anymore.

"Under that kind of stress, people do irrational things and I started getting up in the night and going on my computer because I couldn't sleep."

His case has been adjourned for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

Coxhead is due to be sentenced next month.

A spokesman for East Riding Council said: "Once these allegations became known, the council suspended the employee and, following the council's employment procedure, he was subsequently dismissed."

A confidential helpline has been set up by East Riding Council for anyone who has concerns about the case.

Related topics: