Wrexham businessman jailed for downloading indecent child images

A WREXHAM businessman was warned by a judge that, by downloading indecent child images, he was contributing to children being abused.

Michael Bostock was sent to jail for nine months after a court heard how police found nearly 700 indecent images of children on his computers.

Mold Crown Court heard other computers had been seized from Bostock, 55, but when they were examined nothing illegal was found.

But there was a special programme designed to destroy the data the police were looking for – a system installed to avoid detection for such offences, said prosecuting barrister Oliver King.

Bostock, of Oak Drive, who works for the family air-conditioning firm, admitted possessing 692 indecent images of children and eight specimen charges of making them by downloading them off the internet.

Judge Dafydd Hughes said it needed to be understood that, by downloading such disgusting images, children were suffering.

“It is so easy for you to look at images of this nature and feel that one is not involved,” said the judge. “But it is a fact there are people like you, whether through boredom, curiosity or whatever, who wish to look at them. That creates the market for these disgusting and distressing images. As a result, real children are being cruelly abused and made to suffer.”

Bostock was ordered to register with the police as a sex offender and he was also made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, under which he is not to go on to school premises when he is released.

Defending barrister Ben Kelly said Bostock was concerned the company may be commissioned to do air-conditioning work at schools.

But the judge said the condition, among others, would remain.

“I appreciate it may cause difficulties but I have to look at the wider picture,” he said.

Mr King said the prosecution was anxious Bostock should not, on his release, go near primary or secondary schools.

Bostock admitted going on to adult porn sites but denied going on to child sites.

Police examined a computer and a freestanding hard drive and found 20,000 indecent images of adults, and almost 700 images of children, including some at the more serious levels.

When re-interviewed, he said he thought the teen sites he had looked at were legal.

Mr Kelly said Bostock had no explanation.

He said Bostock had children himself, it had a devastating effect on his family, and he also had a partner of four years and they were engaged. He was an integral part of the family company, which would also suffer.