GEORGE DUTTON – NORTHWICH

2024 –

A Northwich man has admitted to a series of serious offences involving illegal images, following a court hearing where the details of his conduct were outlined.

George Dutton, aged 20, of Victoria Road, appeared before Chester Magistrates’ Court on 22 November where he entered guilty pleas to multiple charges. The offences relate to the possession and creation of indecent images involving children, as well as the possession of extreme illegal material.

The court heard that between 15 May 2023 and 19 March 2024, Dutton was found to have 48 indecent images and videos involving children in his possession. These materials spanned multiple legal categories, including the most serious classifications, indicating a sustained pattern of offending rather than a single isolated incident.

In addition to this, during the same period, Dutton was found to be in possession of extreme pornographic material, including videos depicting unlawful acts involving animals. These offences were treated as separate but connected matters by the court.

Dutton also admitted to making indecent images, further compounding the seriousness of the case. In total, he pleaded guilty to five charges.

Following his guilty plea, the court ordered that Dutton be released on strict conditional bail pending sentencing. As part of these conditions, he is required to:
• Register all internet-enabled devices with the police
• Surrender devices to officers upon request
• Refrain from deleting internet history or attempting to conceal online activity

At crown court, judge Michael Leeming fined Dutton £250 and handed him an 18-month community order, within which he must complete up to 30 days of rehabilitation activity

Judge Leeming also ordered Dutton to sign the sex offenders register for five years and made him the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.

As part of this he must register any device capable of accessing the internet with the police and hand it over to officers when requested.

Dutton must also not delete his internet history.