July 2014
Gosport paedophile caught out after using his girlfriend’s laptop
PERVERT Gerald Fisher was caught out by his girlfriend after looking at hundreds of pictures of child abuse, including photos of babies, on her laptop.
Fisher, of Sycamore Close, Gosport, pleaded guilty to five counts of making indecent photographs of a child and two counts of possession of extreme pornography involving children, when he appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court.
In total, Fisher had 794 images of children, ranging across all levels of seriousness, and 26 extreme images of children.
The court heard the 34-year-old had been caught out by his girlfriend, who had discovered the sick images in her internet browsing history, before she shopped him to the police.
Tammy Mears, prosecuting, told the court that Fisher had been looking at the images over a period of five years and that he had two previous cautions for similar offences – one for flirting with young girls in a shop in 2007 and one for declaring his undying love for a nine-year-old to her parents in 2010.
She said that some of the less graphic pictures had involved babies, and that children as young as six had been pictured in the most graphic photos.
All the pictures had been still images that Fisher had downloaded from the internet and it was made clear that he had not been involved in the original production of them.
Jeffrey Norie-Miller, defending, said: ‘He is disgusted with his behaviour and with the fact that he has allowed it to go on for as long as it has without seeking help.’
The court heard that Fisher had attempted to seek help in the past, but this had not been structured.
Mr Norie-Miller argued that Fisher was ‘extremely vulnerable’ and that he would be in a ‘difficult situation in custody’ whereby he might not be able to access the treatment he needed to correct his offending.
He also said Fisher’s medical conditions – chest condition costochondritis and rare skin condition Darier’s disease – should be taken into account.
Judge Nicholas Haggan QC sentenced Fisher to a three-year community order, with three years’ supervision with a requirement to attend a sexual offender’s treatment programme.
Fisher was banned from working with children and added to the sex offender register for a minimum of five years.
He was also given an indefinite sexual offences prevention order and the hard drive of the laptop was ordered to be destroyed.
