James Bergin was living an “isolated existence” when he was caught with 666 illegal items
James Bergin(Image: Facebook)
A man told the police it was “all a big mistake” after officers discovered the illegal contents of his phone. James Bergin collected hundreds of indecent images of children after becoming sucked into an “isolated existence” on online chatrooms.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Friday, that Merseyside Police executed a search warrant at the 31-year-old’s home on Legion Road in St Helens in January 2023 after receiving information that the user “JamesBerg1993” had accessed indecent images of children on the messaging app Kik. A total of 666 “illegal images” were subsequently found on his Samsung phone.
Holly Menary, prosecuting, described how these included 162 pictures and one video in category A, those showing the most serious forms of abuse. Bergin, who has no previous convictions, was also found to have amassed 163 images in category B and 332 in category C, as well as eight “portraying acts likely to result in serious injury to a person’s private parts”.
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He was said to have downloaded some of these vile materials from X, formerly known as Twitter. Under interview, he told detectives “that it was all a big mistake”.
Robert Wyn Jones, defending, told the court: “He made admissions on arrest. There was a long delay, unfortunately, before being put before the court.
“That has given him two years to think about what he did. He recognises that, at the time, he was living a very isolated existence on his own on the internet in chatrooms for far too long. He has demonstrated remorse and insight and is described as motivated to change.”
Bergin admitted possession of indecent images of children, three counts of making indecent images and possession of extreme pornographic images. He nodded as he was handed an eight-month imprisonment suspended for two years and handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
Sentencing, Judge Brian Cummings KC said: “Very importantly, you have no previous convictions and have never suffered any form of criminal penalty or been at risk of imprisonment. I very much take into account the fact that two years have passed since the commission of these offences.
“It is to your credit that you have not, during that time, committed any further offence. It gave you the opportunity of proving yourself, and you did so during that time.
“I am satisfied that the balance comes down in your favour. The sentence in your case will be a suspended sentence order. You will not be going to prison today.”