A judge has slammed Wiltshire Police and demanded answers over a paedophile case.
George Munro, who was found with more than three thousand child abuse photos and videos, was arrested in 2020 – but didn’t appear in court until earlier this year.
As previously reported, the 37-year-old from Bradford on Avon admitted having a sexual attraction to young girls. In his stash, there were images of children as young as three.
At the defendant’s sentencing hearing at Salisbury Crown Court on 10 November, Judge Angela Morris described as the three-year delay as “shocking”.
She added: “It’s taken about three years to come to court, with no explanation. I want an explanation and I’m going to make a court order.
“The police have seven days to write to me and I want a full explanation – not a I’m sorry this has happened letter – I want to know why it has taken three years to bring this matter to court.”
In response, a spokesperson for Wiltshire Police blamed the lengthy delay “complex” examinations of seized devices and Crown Prosecution Service requests.
They said: “Investigations of this nature involve mobile and computer devices being sent off for digital forensic examination, which due to the complex nature of this work, can be a lengthy process.
“Following specific requests by the CPS in relation to a number of reports regarding this individual, the file was sent to the CPS in 2022 and due to a number of unavoidable delays out of police control, the case only came to court for sentencing in November 2023.”
Judge Morris handed down a 20-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He must register has a sex offender for ten years and complete a sex offender programme. Read more on this >
