August 2011

Former college caretaker “accessed indecent images of kids at library”

CONVICTED child sex offender Ian Ponting accessed the internet in Gloucester library in search of porn it is alleged.

The former Stroud College caretaker, of Wellington Street, Gloucester, entered no plea to breaching a sexual offences prevention order made at Gloucester Crown Court on April 28, when he appeared before city magistrates on Tuesday.

The order bans the 45-year-old from accessing the internet and viewing pornographic or social networking sites.

Prosecuting solicitor, Joanne Harrison, said: “The defendant was convicted of possessing indecent images of children and a sexual offences prevention order was made.

“It is the Crown’s case that on 13 different dates between May 12 and May 31 this year the defendant accessed the internet facilities at the city’s public library and viewed social networking sites.

“It is our allegation that this was a deliberate breach of the order within two weeks of it having been made.”

At Ponting’s trial in early January, the crown court was told he was caught when he left two indecent pictures of children on a printer in the library at Stroud College, where he worked as a caretaker, which were found by a shocked student.

Indecent

He was convicted by the jury of 21 charges of possessing and making indecent images of children between April 2009 and April 2010.

Ponting worked at the college for two years, first as caretaker and later as cleaning supervisor. The defence accepted that Ponting had downloaded hundreds of images onto his computer at home, transferred them to a USB stick and then printed them at the college.

He then took the pictures home and put them in scrapbooks which were found under his bed when police raided his then home in Cainscross.

On April 26 last year a student using the college library found two indecent images on the printer and informed staff.

Police were called and they went to Ponting’s flat and found the albums under his bed. At the earlier court appearance, Recorder Lane told Ponting: “These photographs, to millions of right-thinking decent people, are utterly abhorrent and exploitative.”

He imposed on Ponting a 12-month jail sentence suspended for two years.