Sounds like you've already pulled a lot of evidence together. The fact that you've not worked with kids and have no interest in working with them should demonstrate that there's no reason for you to be added to any barred list. 
Let me know if you need any further help before you send your representation off.

Debs

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Hi

I do wish you luck but from my experience; and I think I understand the type of images, the fact you haven't worked with children before will not stop you being added to the list because of the content of the images.

There is an excellent article / video on the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-50808616/online-child-sexual-abuse-don-t-do-what-i-did) with similarities of not searching but looking and the lack of consideration.

All supportive evidence is helpful but I pleaded guilty on advice, was recommended for a non-custodial sentence by Probation (and verbally by the Police), but due to other people's offences and Government reports about other cases that did not happen.  
Any mitigation evidence was not put forward, and in many discussions with the solicitor afterwards was none productive/ questions unanswered, just simply because I pleaded guilty.
 
I do hope I am wrong whatever the outcome please focus on yourself and on the fact that you haven't worked in that environment in the past so you will not have to declare it in future job applications.

Good luck and have self-belief in yourself. 

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope is for tomorrow else what is left if you remove a mans hope.

Hi peeps.

Not sure if people are still following this but today is the big day. The date of my sentencing which is in a couple of hours. I had a social work interview/discussion last week and I strongly believe my sentencing will be getting deferred again as the report won't be ready in time which could be another 3-4 weeks which would be around a year from my initial arrest.

The social worker did advise there are 4 possible outcomes:

1. Caution - basically a slap on the wrist. Don't do it again - 99.9999999% unlikely. I've accepted that.
2. *Community Payback Order - I'm sure most know about this
3. *Moved to a Rehab Program - Moving Forward, Making changes program - This could include a community payback order on top of it
4. *Custodial Sentence - My solicitor and social workers both think given the low risk and nature that this is super unlikely. Social Work also mentioned in their report they wouldn't be recommending this but of course you never know what the judge will decide!

And here is your update!

As suspected - The social work department still haven't finished their paperwork so my sentence has been deferred again until next month. Yay, more waiting!

Hi
I was on bail for 2 years, one year until I could plead guilty then 1 year waiting to be sentenced.
As ever I will hope you well but I was told 30 months supervisory order recommendation order, supported by a psychology report - ended up with 4 years . Though it is felt this was because of the media / society interest in other sex offences that was headlining in the media.

As I said I hope you well but to be blunt, I stand by my initial comments to your posting. That being that you admit and realise there are victims in your offence and possibly a low level sex offenders course may be worthwhile to help your understanding of that. It does not matter there was no contact or they where far away the images supported the abuse of them. Sorry for my opinion but I do look at events from a 'consequence of action' view.

You can not do anything about your past and you will have to keep focused and believe in yourself through all the issues you will have. Remember your family and friends are victims of the consequences of your offence as well. I could suggest from my experience is that the only support you can give them is: whatever your sentence, to learn from your past and ensure you live the rest of life as an ex-offender. 

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope is for tomorrow else what is left if you remove a mans hope.

Hi JASB, thanks for chiming in again.

I imagine, like me, you'd no previous convictions or trouble with the police/law. I understand a custodial sentence is a potential on the horizon and I will deal with that if and when it comes. In my area/town there have actually been a reasonable amount of similar cases as mine. Most of which had a much bigger haul of images as well as previous convictions for the same crime and none of them spent time in prison. Given the police report even stated there is history or pattern with my circumstance and all images were "created" on the same day and confirmed they came down on a non-IIOC related torrent, never viewed and in an inaccessible portion of the HDD I feel puts me in a reasonable good stead for this showing I didn't actively seek this stuff out. But I guess you never know what happens until the gavel comes down!

I'm looking to remain positive. Basically all the damage that could be done from this is now done. Job gone, friends gone, name plastered in the media, keyboard warriors on social media foaming at the mouth wanting me dragged through the streets to the gallows.

When you lose everything it really changes your perspective on things, at least to me anyway.

I'll accept whatever punishment is handed down and work with that. I was a wreck about 2 months ago but now I'm almost ambivalent about it. Worrying about this can't and won't change anything, what I can change is how I learn, grow and move on from this. Worrying is just paying interest on something you haven't purchased yet.

Hi

many thanks for understanding the manner in which I wrote my words and you are correct mine was a first offence, and many other facts and mitigation points in my favour but unfortunately was not my lucky day .
You have not lost everything as you are realising support is out there in many forms.
You must know focus on the positive aspects of your life. Accept the punishment and learn from it. If you do a course than try to understand how  your life was at the time of the offence. Be open about what was lacking, register the points and set targets to redevelop your life skills.
Do not be embarrassed or defensive on the reasons for the offence as that is seen as denial. Instead understand the reasons for it instead of making excuses for it which I think you have started to do.
Know you are now a new student on the educational course of 'Life - understanding and improving the journey' just the same as when you walked into your first school class. In other words embrace the chance of :

you define your future by not letting your past define it.

Good luck and let us know what happens.



Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope is for tomorrow else what is left if you remove a mans hope.

According to my Scottish lawyer, the cutoff for a jail sentence tends to be around 700 images so you might get off lightly.

You say you have no interest in working with children - but you'll find yourself getting chased away from children nonetheless. In the long run, the thing that'll irk you is a bunch of gratuitous, senseless, blanket precautions that make your life impossible. E.g. I thought getting a job as a film extra would be a nice, neutral job to just walk into. But because there might be 17yos on set later the same day, in a scene that has nothing to do with me, nnooope.

And the thing is, I'm under no restrictions (other than the register). So, I'm perfectly allowed to have a 17yo girlfriend if I felt so inclined (it would be odd but you get see the principle). But because of box ticking I can't be in a workplace with a 17yo.

Also, what's annoying is that even the smallest mercies would be so easy, and not detract from the basic punishment.

It would be so easy to deliver a version of the punishment, which still is a punishment, that doesn't make your life impossible.
It would be so easy to just leave out the 10 minute cop visitations (to people on the Register who have finished Licence\Parole) which accomplish nothing and make living with a new partner impossible or weird. But still keep the register etc.
It would be so easy to have a 0 year unspent conviction rather than a 5 year one (or to start counting from the incident onward not the court date onward). As the time lapse says nothing about risk anyway.
It would be so easy to at least have the bad news about you on page 3 rather than page 1 of Google.

Hi peeps!

I thought I would just chime in and let you all know how I got on.

Today was my sentencing and thankfully no custodial sentence!

Reading the social work report was pretty grim as they totally twisted a lot of my words and it came across as a less than stellar report of myself but we managed to clear up some of the things they said which is good.

If anyone is interested my sentence is:

• 120 Hours community payback order (would've been 200 but accounting for the early plea) over a 6 month period
  
• I have to take part in the Moving Forward, Making Changes program which runs for 3 years
• I will also be subject to the register notification requirements for those 3 years
• I have a review in 3 months to make sure I'm keeping my nose clean and abiding by everything as the judge doesn't think I'll actually take part in any of this - I'm happy to prove him wrong!

I hesitate to say "Congratulations", but it does sound like some common sense was applied. Let's hope your compliance will make the judge think again about his attitude. You shouldn't be surprised by the approach of social workers when writing reports - that seems to be standard practice. However, as you'll now be dealing with social workers, let's hope they apply some common sense as well.

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If you are to punish a man retributively you must injure him. If you are to reform him you must improve him. And men are not improved by injuries. (George Bernard Shaw)