Paedophile who took indecent photos of three-year-old girl sentenced to 12 months in jail

A HGV driver who took secret photos of a child aged just three on smartphones has been jailed for 12 months.

Geoffrey Crowther, from Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty at York Crown Court today to multiple charges of making and taking indecent images of children.

The 72-year-old admitted to making four indecent images of children in the most serious Category A, between 14 June 2017 and 14 November 2018, making three indecent images of children in Category B during the same period and making 10 indecent images of children in Category C during the same period.

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He also pleaded guilty to having secretly taken pictures of a three-year-old girl on two different smart phones. The photos were in Category C and dated between 30 April 2017 and 14 November 2018.

Geoffrey CrowtherGeoffrey Crowther
Geoffrey Crowther

Crowther was arrested in November 2018 and carried out a search warrant at his home after receiving intelligence about suspicious online activity which linked back to him.

The investigation spanned nearly 18 months and he was eventually charged on 1 April this year, pleadeing guilty to the offences last month.

Safeguarding measures have now been put in place regarding the youngster whose photograph was taken, with police confirming there had been "no contact offences against the girl".

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A North Yorkshire Police detective said Crowther had, to this day, not been able to fully explain why he took the photos and had said he had gotten no sexual gratification out of them.

Crowther was unable to fully explain why he took the photos of the three-year-old girl. Picture: Adobe Stock ImagesCrowther was unable to fully explain why he took the photos of the three-year-old girl. Picture: Adobe Stock Images
Crowther was unable to fully explain why he took the photos of the three-year-old girl. Picture: Adobe Stock Images

Detective Constable Fiona Saunderson, of the Online Abuse & Exploitation Team, said: “Geoffrey Crowther did something unthinkable by taking indecent images of a young child. His despicable actions were a grotesque breach of trust which has devastated lives.”

She said Crowther has shown genuine remorse since his initial arrest, but he had subsequently not been forthcoming about what was contained on his digital devices.

Further offending images were then uncovered by the digital examination of his devices.

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“In his police interviews,” added DC Saunderson, “Crowther claimed he did not have a sexual interest in children. But when presented with the evidence he admitted to taking indecent photographs of a three-year-old girl.

“Again, he stated he got no sexual gratification from them and that he had deleted the photos immediately.

“Despite his continued denials that he has a sexual interest in children, all the evidence – including his very specific online search history – suggests otherwise.

“Crowther still hasn’t properly explained why he has been taking and making indecent images of children.”

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