Description
Twisted Christopher Goble - who once appeared on the BBC to give his "thought for the day" - was found with a staggering 1,700 indecent images of children
A paedophile vicar who downloaded thousands of sick child abuse images has been jailed for 20 months.
Twisted Christopher Goble - who once appeared on the BBC to give his "thought for the day" - was found with a staggering 1,700 indecent images of children.
A court heard they included over 600 "category A" images - the worst kind - on his laptop and phone with some featuring babies being horrifically abused.
Goble, a married father who served within the Diocese of Coventry, was suspended after police found his sickening hoard when they raided his home on September 30.
Detectives discovered the disgraced reverend had made searches for terms such as "incest" and young children before amassing his illegal collection over five years.
He also had extreme pornography of women being penetrated by dogs and horses and discussed abusing a child with another adult in messages.
Goble, of Ilmington, Warks., pleaded guilty to making 627 category A indecent images of children between November 2014 and September this year.
He also admitted making 445 category B indecent images of children and 629 category C indecent images.
In addition, he admitted possessing six prohibited images of acts of penetrative sex and 17 extreme pornographic images, including depicting oral sex with an animal.
Goble was jailed for 20 months by Judge Sylvia de Bertodano at Warwick Crown Court today (Wed).
He must register as a sex offender for ten years and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same time period.
Sentencing, Judge de Bertodano said: You are here because on September 30, police came to your address.
"They searched initially your phone and found a hidden gallery with indecent images of children.
They went on to search other devices and fund two computers with more images on them.
Over 600 of these images were the most serious category, category A, and there were getting on for 2,000 in total, mostly still but some moving.
They include images of the rape of very young children, and babies at the most extreme end.
It was a collection you had built up over a period of about five years.
These are very serious offences. People sometimes think that because its just looking at pictures or movies that other people have made, you are not doing anything seriously wrong yourself.
But thats not the case. What you are looking at is pictures of real children being horrifically abused.
These pictures are created for a market, and that market is people who want to look at them.
That is this case includes you, and its a market that has an endless appetite for more images of abuse, and that is why people go on making these images and they go on abusing children.
You have made a very real contribution to the horrific abuse of the children in these pictures.
You are not the sort of man anyone would expect to offend in this manner.
You are 44-years-old. You are not only a man of good character, but your profession makes you a person respected in the community as a figure of moral authority.
That makes it even more shocking that someone in your position would offend against these most vulnerable of human beings.
I am sure you did your job very well. I have got a letter from one of your distressed parishioners who speaks very highly of you.
You are a family man and have children of an impressionable age who you have lost as a result of this.
You have lost your job, you have lost your good character.
There are a number of aggravating factors. There is the very young age of the children involved.
There is the fact you were searching for images of this kind, and it went on for a long period of time."
Goble was previously pictured in 2015 giving his "thought for the day" to BBC Coventry & Warwickshire.
The court heard Goble had served in south Warwickshire and was found with some of the warped material stored in a hidden folder on his phone.
Prosecutor Adrian Fleming said: When police officers executed a search warrant at his address, he was asked for his phone and he initially claimed he had lost it two days previously.
It was in his trouser pocket. It had a hidden photo gallery within the phone which contained a large number of pornographic images and a significant number of indecent images of children.
They also found an HP laptop and a Compaq laptop.
Across these devices, there were 627 category A indecent images, 445 category B indecent images and 629 category C indecent images.
The vast majority are still. There are a few moving images. Some show penetrative sex with babies.
There are images showing anal penetration of a one-year-old and a five-year-old.
There are also four iPhones and three computers which cannot be gotten into, so it cannot be said they do not contain illegal material.
The Crown applies for forfeiture and destruction of all of these.
He made a number of searches including incest and young children. These are searches on search engines for prohibited material.
There was messaging found which was very explicit in nature and described abuse of children.
He has been messaging another adult and fantasizing about sex with children. This was very recently, in September this year.
The court heard the messaging described abuse of a child below the age of six, but Goble was not charged as police were not able to find evidence the act took place.
Naomi Perry, defending Goble, said: He has never committed any offences [before this].
What is not conveyed by the pre-sentence report is the depth of remorse that he feels, and the insight he has now gained into the man who was doing that, and the man he would like to get back to being.
He has taken online courses including the Lucy Faithfull Foundation course [for internet offenders].
"The report says he should have been doing it sooner, and he shouldnt have been doing what he was doing at all.
He was brought to his senses by the knock on the door, and from then on he has endeavoured to put things right.
He is realistic that he will never be able to practice again. He is truly repentant, and that is how he stands before you.
He has lost everything. He has lost his family. He and his wife arent speaking, so he has lost his children. He is now staying with his parents.
Senior Crown prosecutor Andrew Crump, of CPS West Midlands, said: 'Christopher Goble is a vicar who, in his position of authority, should have been safeguarding children.
'This case sends a clear message that viewing indecent images of children is a crime and the CPS will prosecute those who commit these offences.'
A Diocese of Coventry spokesman said: 'Christopher Goble was charged with the offences, following his arrest on October 1.
'He was suspended from ministry with immediate effect.
'We offer an unreserved apology to all those affected by these crimes, acknowledging how difficult and distressing it is.
'The diocese takes any allegations of criminal activity very seriously, and is committed to being a safer place for all - but we can never be complacent."