Barrie White-Miller 61

Description

A volunteer photographer for a childrens amateur dramatics group took pictures of them and then zoomed in on their groins and chests for his own sexual gratification. Nottingham Crown Court heard how Barrie White-Miller also posted entries on his own blog in which fantasised about watching young children on the beach.

The married 61-year-old, of Nottingham, was reported to the police by his own step-daughter who found vile abuse images on his computer. And when officers examined his electronic devices they found more than 3,500 similar such images.

Jailing him for 10 months, Judge Steven Coupland said: The police were called because you had been seen watching pornography on your computer by someone standing outside your house and the fact that you did that indicates to me that you saw nothing wrong with that or behaving in that way. I have no hesitation in describing you as someone that has got a sexual interest in children and it was not just the images that were found on your computer that leads me to conclude that.

There were search terms for young children but worse than that was what you wrote on your own blog indicating you had been watching children walk past your address and having sexual fantasies about them. You also wrote on your blog about being on holiday and watching children on the beach.

And worse than that was your role as a volunteer for a childrens group who you photographed. It is of a particular concern to me that you cropped certain images (you took) and concentrated on the crotch or chest area for your own sexual gratification.

Samuel Lowne, prosecuting, said White-Miller was arrested at his home address in Burnside Drive, Bramcote, on September 17, 2022, a week before his 60th birthday. He said officers had been alerted to attend the address by the defendants step-daughter who had discovered the abuse images on one of his electronic devices.

The prosecutor said a number of items were seized and examined and in total there were 186 of the most serious category A images, 407 category B, 2,905 category C and two prohibited images of children. Mr Lowne said: There were also search terms including nymphette and Lolita and the children in the images were aged as young as three or four.

He also volunteers as a photographer for a childrens amateur dramatics group and one file was headed 'summer school and had cropped images where he had zoomed in. There were also entries on his own blog where he talked of being on the beach looking at young girls and another about people passing by the house..

White-Miller pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing prohibited images of children. He has no previous convictions of any kind.

Kevin Waddingham, mitigating, said his client stopped looking at the images before his arrest and has taken steps since to address his offending, including completing 10 treatment modules with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, which works at rehabilitation sex offenders.

He said: Mr White-Miller is a man approaching his 62nd birthday and finds himself before the court for the first time for behaviour he is thoroughly ashamed of and so he should be.

In terms of his arrest, his daughter-in-law and her family were living next door and that situation has now been resolved through their property being sold. He is currently not working but had been a delivery driver but that came to an end for something completely unrelated to that prosecution.

As well as the jail sentence, Judge Coupland also handed White-Miller a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered him to sign the sex offender register, also for 10 years.