Indecent image smuggler sentenced

A Hertfordshire man was sentenced to two years and eight months imprisonment on Wednesday (29 February 2011) after pleading guilty to 37 charges of possessing and importing indecent images of children. It follows a joint investigation by the UK Border Agency and Hertfordshire Constabulary.

Graham Benjamin Phillips, of Railway Terrace, Kings Langley, had been stopped by UK Border Agency officers at Dover's Eastern Docks on 26 June 2011. When questioned he said he was an accountant and had been to Lille for four days to get away from the stresses of work.

Officers searched the vehicle he was driving and found a laptop, two mobile phones and memory sticks and cards. When asked to unlock the laptop to allow officers to check the material stored on it, Phillips refused saying it contained confidential work material.

The laptop, phones and memory sticks and cards were detained pending further investigation by the UK Border Agency. The laptop was found to contain a large number of indecent images of children up to the level five on the Copine scale.

On September 8, 2011, the UK Border Agency and Hertfordshire Constabulary carried out an arrest enquiry at an address in Kings Langley. Phillips was not at the address and was subsequently listed as wanted by Hertfordshire Constabulary and an appeal to trace him placed on Crimewatch.

Officers in Hertfordshire received information on his whereabouts and arrested Graham Phillips at a football match in the county on 5 November.

Following his arrest, Hertfordshire Constabulary identified other possible offences and investigated these. He was subsequently charged with 37 offences in total.

Malcolm Bragg, for the UK Border Agency, said: "UK Border Agency officers play an important frontline role in protecting the public, working hard to ensure this type of banned material is not smuggled into the UK.

"We take possession of these types of images very seriously, and as this case shows, we work closely with other law enforcement agencies, like Hertfordshire Constabulary, to ensure that those criminals responsible for this appalling trade are stopped and brought to justice."

Detective Inspector Marcus Bromley from Hertfordshire Constabulary said: "People who commit these crimes have no place in our society and this should serve as a warning that we will do all we can to arrest them and bring them before the courts.

"Working together with partners such as the UK Border Agency strengthens our powers and this shows what positive results it can bring."