A KENDAL man has been jailed for five months after admitting possessing extreme pornography showing women engaged in sexual activities with animals.
Some of the footage found at the Back Lane, Kendal, home of Gary Sharples was so ‘disturbing’ that the police officer given the ‘horrendous task’ of viewing the footage could not watch it, South Lakeland magistrates were told.
Lisa Hine, prosecuting, told the court that police searched the 47-year-old’s property on July 13 while he was in custody on unrelated matters.
During the search, officers found 22 DVDs containing extreme pornography.
The court heard that under a new offence created in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, the DVDs fell into the ‘most serious level’.
Sharples told police that he had bought the DVDs - each lasting 15 minutes - from a Chinese man who visited pubs in Kendal.
The man was selling them at three for £10.
In mitigation, John Batty told the court that Sharples - who worked as a driver between 3am and lunchtime - had relocated to Kendal from Greater Manchester, leaving behind family.
“It is something of a lonely existence,” he said. “This gentlemen knows what he did was naive and stupid.”
Mr Batty said he acknowledged that the threshhold for custody had been passed given the seriousness of the footage but asked magistrates to suspend any sentence of imprisonment because of the defendant’s previous good character.
He said Sharples would not wish that anybody featured in the DVDs was harmed and thought the people involved were ‘consenting adults.’ But magistrates said that because the footage was so serious, they had been left with no choice but to send him to prison.
Sentencing Sharples to 150 days’ custody, lead magistrate Peter Benning said: ”This sentence is passed because of the extreme nature of what was on those DVDs and the level of seriousness - they are right at the top.
“We have no other option than to treat this seriously in the way that we have.”
Sharples also admitted possessing cannabis resin but he was not sentenced for that offence because of the severity of the other punishment.
Magistrates ordered that the DVDs and cannabis resin be confiscated and destroyed.
Comments
What a ridiculous waste of money jailing this man for a crime without a victim. This so called crime should be removed from the statute book. In the vote on this law Labour voted for and the Liberals against. It only got passed because the tories abstained.
What a ridiculous waste of money jailing this man for a crime without a victim. This so called crime should be removed from the statute book. In the vote on this law Labour voted for and the Liberals against. It only got passed because the tories abstained.
I have to agree with Keith. It is ridiculous to think that a man or woman should be imprisoned for such an offence when a man who actually assaults women (see here http://www.bbc.co.uk
/news/uk-england-152
66441) is given a three year community order. The police, the CPS and Magistrates need to maintain a sense of perspective.
AL
I have to agree with Keith. It is ridiculous to think that a man or woman should be imprisoned for such an offence when a man who actually assaults women (see here http://www.bbc.co.uk
/news/uk-england-152
66441) is given a three year community order. The police, the CPS and Magistrates need to maintain a sense of perspective.
AL
Not sure I agree with the first 2 comments, don't get me wrong I am no prude but do feel that **** is not a form of **** which should be encouraged..
You say there is no victim does that mean it must be taken that all animals like sexual encounters with humans!! also how can you tell if the animal is a natural participant and not being forced into it, they cannot talk or say no..
Ultimately there is a plethora of "traditional" hardcore **** on the "net" which any savvy child can easily view due to the relaxing of **** laws and I for one would not appreciate my grandchild being able to gain access to images of beasiliality as easily or as prevalent.
Not sure I agree with the first 2 comments, don't get me wrong I am no prude but do feel that **** is not a form of **** which should be encouraged..
You say there is no victim does that mean it must be taken that all animals like sexual encounters with humans!! also how can you tell if the animal is a natural participant and not being forced into it, they cannot talk or say no..
Ultimately there is a plethora of "traditional" hardcore **** on the "net" which any savvy child can easily view due to the relaxing of **** laws and I for one would not appreciate my grandchild being able to gain access to images of beasiliality as easily or as prevalent.
nickjohn wrote…
Not sure I agree with the first 2 comments, don't get me wrong I am no prude but do feel that **** is not a form of **** which should be encouraged..
You say there is no victim does that mean it must be taken that all animals like sexual encounters with humans!! also how can you tell if the animal is a natural participant and not being forced into it, they cannot talk or say no..
Ultimately there is a plethora of "traditional" hardcore **** on the "net" which any savvy child can easily view due to the relaxing of **** laws and I for one would not appreciate my grandchild being able to gain access to images of beasiliality as easily or as prevalent.
hmm never appreciated that the words "beast i ality" or "p orn" would be removed, fill in the blanks yourselves...
nickjohn wrote…
Not sure I agree with the first 2 comments, don't get me wrong I am no prude but do feel that **** is not a form of **** which should be encouraged..
You say there is no victim does that mean it must be taken that all animals like sexual encounters with humans!! also how can you tell if the animal is a natural participant and not being forced into it, they cannot talk or say no..
Ultimately there is a plethora of "traditional" hardcore **** on the "net" which any savvy child can easily view due to the relaxing of **** laws and I for one would not appreciate my grandchild being able to gain access to images of beasiliality as easily or as prevalent.
hmm never appreciated that the words "beast i ality" or "p orn" would be removed, fill in the blanks yourselves...
I don't think what happened to the animals is worse than being eaten.
He was clearly not distributing the material just possessing it.
Bear in mind that the maximum scentence for animal cruelty is 6 months this bloke got 5 months!
For a stupid law that should never have been passed
http://www.backlash-
uk.org.uk/
I don't think what happened to the animals is worse than being eaten.
He was clearly not distributing the material just possessing it.
Bear in mind that the maximum scentence for animal cruelty is 6 months this bloke got 5 months!
For a stupid law that should never have been passed
http://www.backlash-
uk.org.uk/
Interesting view that as animals will be eaten anyway then everything else should be seen as acceptable, are you assuming that the animals in question are cows, pigs, chickens etc.. what if they are horses, dogs, cats these are not eaten and should be allowed to live a life without abuse the same as anything else...
Granted he was not distributing the images but he is guilty of furthering the supply chain by buying it, if know one buys the stuff then there will be no market to sell it in and ultimately this would negate the need to make the stuff..
Interesting view that as animals will be eaten anyway then everything else should be seen as acceptable, are you assuming that the animals in question are cows, pigs, chickens etc.. what if they are horses, dogs, cats these are not eaten and should be allowed to live a life without abuse the same as anything else...
Granted he was not distributing the images but he is guilty of furthering the supply chain by buying it, if know one buys the stuff then there will be no market to sell it in and ultimately this would negate the need to make the stuff..
i am sharples ex and the animals on them dvds are not pigs n chickens there are horses n dogs and i am glad that he has been sent down as what was on then dvds was vile and uncalled for. He bought them for his own pleaser and sold them on and i hope he is on the sex offenders register as most of them girls was not over 18 and sharples is a sick man in which i had the back hand of as i was only 16 when i first met him!
i am sharples ex and the animals on them dvds are not pigs n chickens there are horses n dogs and i am glad that he has been sent down as what was on then dvds was vile and uncalled for. He bought them for his own pleaser and sold them on and i hope he is on the sex offenders register as most of them girls was not over 18 and sharples is a sick man in which i had the back hand of as i was only 16 when i first met him!
I am intrigued by the fact that his home was searched while in custody on unrelated matters.
Was he prosecuted for those other matters?
He was not punished for the cannabis in his possession.
It gives the impression that you will only be prosecuted and punished for the most serious offences, and get let off for the less serious matters... is that not encouraging somebody who has committed serious crimes to continue with less serious offences until they are caught... "in for a penny, in for a pound" I think the expression goes?
he was in custody for the rape and abuse he did to me n thats why they searched his house! he got away with that but least he got sent down with something in the end as he deserves every single bit of it!
Not only was it animal abuse but very possibly the women were not consenting either and possibly were not of age anyway.
It must have been bad if the police could not watch it, they must encounter all sorts in their job and will be able to view things the rest of us have no wish to see.
Not only was it animal abuse but very possibly the women were not consenting either and possibly were not of age anyway.
It must have been bad if the police could not watch it, they must encounter all sorts in their job and will be able to view things the rest of us have no wish to see.
If the animals were harmed, or if the performers were not consenting it would have been a different charge.
If any of the performers were under 18, or he was distributing the material it would have been a different charge.
The fact that police found it difficult to watch tells us nothing as I've heard of police that refuse to watch gay material because 'its too difficult to watch'.
The dangerous pictures act is a horrendous law that is only used for content in which no real harm is caused to anyone.. we have real laws for harm and always have.
If the animals were harmed, or if the performers were not consenting it would have been a different charge.
If any of the performers were under 18, or he was distributing the material it would have been a different charge.
The fact that police found it difficult to watch tells us nothing as I've heard of police that refuse to watch gay material because 'its too difficult to watch'.
The dangerous pictures act is a horrendous law that is only used for content in which no real harm is caused to anyone.. we have real laws for harm and always have.