A 21-year-old man, Connor Stephens, has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found in possession of over 21,000 indecent photos and videos of children. The discovery was made when devices that Stephens had hidden from police were located during a routine check by the officers assigned to monitor his behaviour under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Stephens, who has lived at various addresses in the Boston area, was previously subject to the order due to past offences. Despite this, he breached the terms in November 2023 by concealing digital devices containing massive volumes of illegal content. This led to charges of possession of child sexual abuse material, prohibited material, and extreme pornography.
In addition to these charges, Stephens was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice and violating a suspended sentence order. Following his guilty plea, he was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on Thursday, July 11. Alongside his prison term, Stephens received a five-year extended license and an indefinite continuation of his sexual harm prevention order.
The case highlighted significant interdepartmental collaboration among Lincolnshire Police units. DS Nicola Stafford of the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) noted the extensive effort that went into the investigation. MOSOVO managed Stephens in compliance with his SHPO, and our digital media investigator conducted cloud extractions that revealed thousands of indecent images,” she stated.
The Digital Forensics Unit (DFU) played a crucial role in processing the evidence on a tight schedule to prepare for court proceedings, while prison intelligence officers coordinated to facilitate interviews with Stephens while he was in remand.
Stafford praised the successful multi-departmental approach, stating, “It really was a brilliant example of an interdepartmental effort, spanning several months from November 2023 to now.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges law enforcement faces in monitoring and managing convicted sex offenders and underscores the importance of rigorous enforcement of legal restrictions placed on such individuals.
