Kids as young as two sexually abused in twisted man's illegal child abuse image collection

A Sheffield judge has condemned a twisted 41-year-old man who amassed a collection of hundreds of illegal images showing children being raped and sexually abused.

“People like you, for some reason, are deriving pleasure from watching children being raped," Judge Peter Kelson KC told defendant, David Parks-Bailey during a sentencing hearing held on October 17, 2023.

Judge Kelson also told Parks-Bailey he was helping to ‘further’ the sickening illegal trade of the making and distribution of child abuse material.

Sheffield Crown Court was told how Parks-Bailey's criminality was finally exposed after police executed a warrant at his home address on October 6, 2021, and seized a number of electronic devices.

Katherine White, prosecuting barrister, said that across Parks-Bailey's numerous devices, a total of 441 illegal child abuse images were found, comprised of 258 Category A images, the most serious of the legal categories defined as those which show children being raped; along with 79 Category B images; 77 Category C images, and 27 prohibited images, which typically refer to cartoons depicting children abused

Ms White said analysis of the devices shows the indecent images were downloaded over a seven-year period, running between January 2014 and January 2021; and Parks-Bailey was also found to have downloaded a Tor browser, along with 'password cracking,' and encryption, software.

'Indicative' internet searches, including ones for the 'portrayal of familial sexual abuse,' were found on Parks-Bailey's devices, Ms White told the court.

Following his arrest, Parks-Bailey exercised his right to 'no comment' in police interview, however he acknowledged his wrong doing when he subsequently entered guilty pleas to three counts of possessing indecent images at an earlier hearing.

Defending, Katie Hodgkinson said that prior to his conviction for these offences, Parks-Bailey had a clean criminal record.

She told the court that the defendant has previously been diagnosed with autism and paranoid-schizophrenia and suffers with mental health problems, which, she suggested, are vulnerabilities that mean he cannot work and would find a prison environment more difficult.

"He knows his actions were wrong. He expresses deep remorse for what he's done...he just wants to put this behind him," Ms Hodgkinson said.

She also told the court that while he is reliant on benefits, he pays child maintenance for his son - who 'he does not see at the moment'; and asked Judge Kelson to consider the two years which have passed since his arrest, during which Parks-Bailey has not re-offended.

However, Judge Kelson said, in his view, Parks-Bailey had 'dragged out' court proceedings because he 'refused to make any admissions' as to what he had been doing, 'thus forcing the police analysis'.

He told Parks-Bailey that he acknowledged the previous good character he enjoyed prior to committing these offences; and his vulnerabilities stemming from his ‘lack of maturity’ and diagnosed conditions of autism and paranoid schizophrenia. 

Judge Kelson told the defendant in many of these cases ‘non-custodial alternatives’ can be found. 

However, in the case of Parks-Bailey he said the only appropriate sentence would be one of six months in prison.

He said: "In the circumstances, I find it necessary to impose an immediate prison sentence to mark society’s absolute disgust at the material you were deriving pleasure from viewing."

Judge Kelson he reached that decision after considering the numerous aggravating factors, including the number of child abuse images he was found with, the extensive period of time in which he viewed, and downloaded, them, along with his use of a Tor browser and encryption software.

Parks-Bailey, of Belmont Avenue, Balby, Doncaster was also made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, as part of which he will be prohibited from contact with children under 16 and his internet-use will be restricted; and he will also be required to sign on to the sex offenders' register for the same period of time.

*South Yorkshire Police were asked to provide a custody image of Parks-Bailey, but refused because he received a sentence of less than 12 months.