Theatre man had indecent child images
A SENIOR manager at a Yorkshire theatre has been sacked after he was convicted of possessing indecent images of children.
Leeds Crown Court heard Gareth Williams, 47, who worked as a production manager at Wakefield Theatre Royal from 2004 until last year, admitted three charges of making a total of 455 indecent images and movies of children aged between three and 12 years old between March 2016 and May 2017.
Prosecutor Bashir Ahmed said West Yorkshire Police was notified that an internet provider address linked to Williams’ mobile phone number had uploaded an indecent image of a child.
Police inquiries led to Williams’ home Wakefield area and a warrant was executed and the house searched on May 10 last year. His mobile phone and computer equipment was seized, along with a USB memory stick.
On the seized USB memory stick police found 29 indecent images and nine movies at category A, the most serious level.
They also found 26 category B images and two movies and 397 category C images and one movie.
Maryam Ahmad, mitigating, said: “His wife had divorced him and he is sleeping in a camper van on his mother’s drive. His life is now in pieces as a consequence of these offences.”
The court heard that Williams, of Oakley Meadow, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, had voluntarily completed a sex offender treatment programme ahead of the sentencing hearing.
Judge Neil Clark sentenced Williams to a 12-month community order with 12 days of rehabilitation activity and 160 hours of unpaid work. Judge Clark also made Williams the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for five years and said his name will be on the sex offender register for five years.
After the sentencing hearing, the theatre’s executive director Katie Town said: “This conviction has shocked everyone at the theatre. As soon as we were made aware of the situation, we took immediate action and advice from the appropriate authorities.
“We underwent a disciplinary process which resulted in the member of staff leaving our employment.
“There is no evidence to suggest that the safety of any of the young people involved in the theatre has been compromised in any way.”