HE’S GUILTY
YEADON MAN WHO COLLECTED THOUSANDS OF CHILD-PORN IMAGES ADMITS SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN
MEDIA COURTHOUSE >> A 61-year-old Yeadon man arrested in December for possessing more than 4,400 images and videos of child pornography entered an open guilty plea Tuesday to sexual abuse of children for possessing child pornography, a felony of the third degree.
Allan Wickersham, of the 700 block of Yeadon Avenue, was originally charged with 102 counts of possessing and distributing child pornography, as well as criminal use of a communication facility.
An affidavit of probable cause for his arrest indicates the monthslong investigation began last year, when Delaware County Detective Sgt. Kenneth Bellis attempted to download files from a computer on the BitTorent peer-to-peer file sharing network between April 22 and April 26, 2016.
Bellis could not download all of the files, but was able to confirm the files he obtained contained child pornography. He traced the distinctive Internet Protocol address of the sharing computer to one provided by RCN Telecom Services.
The cable provider responded to a subpoena and identified the IP address as belonging to Allan P. Wickersham at the Yeadon Avenue address. Bellis then secured a search warrant, which was executed Aug. 26 with the help of Yeadon police officers and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Wickersham was home when the warrant was executed. Bellis and county Detective Ed Pisani escorted the defendant to his bedroom, where Wickersham agreed to answer questions.
“Mr. Wickersham identified several electronic devices, including computers that he stated contain images and videos of child pornography,” according to the affidavit. “Mr. Wickersham admitted to being attracted to females 10 years of age and using an uTorrent file sharing program to search for child pornography.”
Police confiscated a Gateway desktop, an HP laptop, two Seagate external hard drives and several other devices.
A forensic examination of the desktop revealed more than 1,000 images and videos depicting children engaged in sexual acts or poses, according to the affidavit. Another 3,000-plus images and videos were discovered on the laptop and more than 400 were found on one of the Seagate drives.
The forensic audit also located the file that initiated the investigation in the “downloads” folder of the laptop and showed it was being shared from April 22-26, according to the affidavit.
Some images showed children between the ages of 10-14 years, the affidavit states, including those depicting bondage, penetration or attempted penetration of a child.
More than 500,000 additional images were discovered on the devices that may or may not meet the legal definition of child pornography, according to the affidavit.
“Many of the images and/or videos feature female children in a lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic areas,” according to Bellis. “Considering the ages of the children depicted, the females in the photographs are wearing inappropriate attire and are placed in sexually suggestive poses. Your affiant believes the visual depiction of the photographs are designed or intended to elicit a sexual response in the viewer.”
Assistant District Attorney Chris Boggs provided Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge Kevin F. Kelly with sentencing guidelines, but did not recommend a sentence due to the open nature of the plea. Boggs noted the county had offered a negotiated sentence of 24 to 48 months in state prison, however, which he said would fall at the bottom of the guideline range.
Kelly set sentencing for Aug. 1 pending a psychosexual evaluation and presentence investigation. Wickersham, represented by attorney Mark Neff, will also be interviewed by the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board to determine whether he meets the criteria for a sexually violent predator.
Wickersham remains free on unsecured $400,000 bail, according to court records.
“Mr. Wickersham identified several electronic devices, including computers that he stated contain images and videos of child pornography. Mr. Wickersham admitted to being attracted to females 10 years of age and using an uTorrent file sharing program to search for child pornography.”
— According to the affidavit of probable cause