Man who left indecent images of children on train sentenced

Steve Blackthorne, 38, of Winchester, pleaded guilty to the making and distribution of indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of a child.

Following an investigation by British Transport Police (BTP), Blackthorne was sentenced to two years in jail and suspended for two years at Winchester Crown Court on Tuesday, July 9.

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He was also issued with a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years. He was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £650 in costs.

The court heard that on Sunday, January 23, 2022, a train guard was handed six pages of A4 sheets by a passenger. The passenger found them left behind by a man who departed the service at Basingstoke.

The pages contained horrific indecent graphic images of children: 16 Category A (the most severe), five Category B and 16 Category C.

The images left the guard in tears and he alerted BTP who met the train at Southampton station.

A few days later, on Monday, January 31, a member of the cleaning crew discovered a further batch of images when he pulled down a folding table. He immediately reported the images to his manager who called BTP.

The six pages again contained 16 Category A, five Category B and 16 Category C indecent images of children.

Steve Blackthorne (Image: British Transport Police)  

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A CCTV search identified Blackthorne as the passenger who had left behind the printouts.

On Monday, March 14, officers swooped on Blackthorne at Basingstoke station and arrested him. A search of his mobile phone found 60 Category A, 27 Category B and 81 Category C images.

A laptop he was carrying was also seized, and upon examination, was found to contain two Category A and three Category C images.

After searching his home, another laptop was found which held a further 10 Category A images.

During a police interview, Blackthorne admitted printing the images out at work from a work computer.

Investigating officer, DC Phil James said: "Such was the level of Blackthorne’s depravity that the images he had collated left those who inadvertently happened upon them deeply traumatised. 
 
“No one in their right mind would ever willingly choose to see these sickening images.
 
“Blackthorne showed no shame in his perversion even transferring the images to a work computer so he could print them out at work to look at at his leisure.”