Paedophile who lived in Walton spared jail
11:00am Sunday 3rd February 2013 in News By Laura Proto
A paedophile who had a number of indecent images of children and extreme pornographic images of animals has been spared jail.
Christopher Barr, 36, now of Bridge Close, Woking, formally of Hersham Road, Walton, was given 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Guildford Crown Court on Thursday, January 31.
Barr was also handed a community order with two requirements; 36 months’ supervision and attending a sex offenders’ group work programme.
There were eight charges against Barr, with six relating to having 15 indecent images of children in his possession. The images ranged from category one to category four, with category five the most serious.
Barr also had in his possession 69 extreme pornographic images illustrating sex with animals, with 52 photographs and 17 movies. The images had been deleted from his laptop but were recovered by an examiner.
The eighth charge against Barr was making the photographs in breach of an earlier sexual offences prevention order which was issued at Guildford Crown Court on December 7, 2007.
Barr pleaded guilty to all eight charges.
Prosecuting, Richard Bendall said: “The first count involved befriending a woman via an internet dating site. He sent her a photograph of a child’s erect penis.”
Barr was alleged to have thrown his laptop out of the window when the police arrived at his address. The computer was seized on November 17, 2011.
Judge Addison said: “It is an unusual case as there are a small number of images. You are also in breach of your sexual offence prevention order which was imposed on December 7, 2007, when you were sent to prison for similar cases.
“The sentence I am imposing is three months for charge one, three months for charge two, three months for charge three, 12 months for charge four, three months for charge five, 12 months for charge six, three months for charge seven and six months for the breach of the Sexual Offences Prevention Order.
“If you commit any further offences in the period of two years, you will breach the suspended sentence.”
Barr will serve the sentences concurrently, meaning he will only serve 12 months if he offends again within the two year suspended period.
Judge Addison said: “In addition, there will be a community order with two requirements; 36 months supervision and a sex offenders’ group work programme.
“If you do not fulfil the programme, you will be in breach of the suspended sentence.”
Barr’s previous Sexual Offences Prevention Order was revoked and replaced with a new one for an “indefinite period” and the new order “prohibits using any device which can access the internet unless it has the return and display of internet use or can provide the device on the request of a police officer”.
Appearing in court, Barr only spoke to confirm his name and state he understood the sentence the judge had imposed.
Barr had previously pleaded not guilty in November 2012 to a set of nine charges which have since been quashed.
