A FORMER Royal Air Force technician from Brampton who searched the internet for child abuse images blamed his offending on grief.

Bruce Beveridge, 64, whose barrister said his world collapsed following the unexpected death of his wife, was arrested after Cumbria Police were tipped off by an external law enforcement agency, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

He was charged after police raided his Dacre Road home in Brampton on July 9, 2020, seizing ten electronic devices.

Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson described how the police officers who examined those devices found illegal material on two of them, including a Toshiba laptop on which there as evidence that it was used to access illegal images of children.

These included a seven-minute video depicting a 14-year-old girl being sexually abused. The images were classified as category A – the most serious in law.

Also found on the computer was material 'indicative' of Beveridge’s interest in illegal child abuse images, including search terms which he had used as he trawled thd internet for images involving children and sex, said Mr Rogerson.

Beveridge had used deletion software to scrub data permanently from the devices he was using, the court heard.

When he was interviewed by the police, Beveridge claimed he had no idea how the abuse video found its way into his downloads folder.

“He said he had been drinking heavily following the death of his wife,” said Mr Rogerson.

“The search terms [he had used] were put to him and he was unable to explain why those search terms were on his computer.”

A former RAF technician, the defendant was a man of previous good character.

Judith McCullough, defending, said Beveridge had formerly lived a “responsible and industrious life” and was a man who was popular with his family and friends.

“He was also happily married to his wife but his whole world collapsed in 2019 when she died suddenly and unexpectedly in her sleep,” said the barrister. “It is plain from the letter from his sister that he was in deep shock.

“He could not cope with this tragedy and turned to alcohol.” The defendant used alcohol for distraction but there was also a degree of self-destruction, said Miss McCullough, adding that he was also isolated during the pandemic.

The barrister said Beveridge had stopped drinking after his arrest, adding: “He is desperately sorry and deeply ashamed.”

Court records show that Beveridge committed the offence over almost six years. The charge states that between December 6 of 2014 and March 25 of 2020, the defendant made or downloaded five indecent Category A images of children.

Judge Nicholas Barker said that it was clear the loss of his wife in 2019 had caused Beveridge’s life to fall apart. Background papers confirmed that he was drinking a litre of alcohol every other day.

The judge told Beveridge: “It is clear from the evidence that police obtained that you began to access indecent images of children on the internet. There is only one moving image, seven minutes long, of a gross and disturbing nature.

“Although it is likely that you have sought other material and are likely to have been in possession of it, and it is likely that other material may have been passed between peers, there is no clear evidence of that.

“There is also evidence that you were in possession of file deletion software. The images you were in possession of were gross, distasteful and abhorrent to right-thinking people.”

The judge highlighted the link between the demand for such sickening images from people such as Beveridge and continuing sexual abuse of children such as the 14-year-old featured in the video found on his computer.  

“You are part of that offending,” said the judge.

But noting the mitigation before the court the judge concluded that the sentence could be community based rather than custodial. He imposed a 36-month community order, with a requirement to complete 120 hours of unpaid work.

Beveridge will be on the Sex Offender Register for five years and must complete 50 rehabilitation activity days with the Probation Service. This will include completing an accredited sex offender treatment programme.

Beveridge will be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order which will also last for five years.

MORE FROM COURT: Danger driver did 80mph in residential streets as he fled from the police