Advice of what might happen next
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Hi there
My lo received the knock 2 years before we met. He told me a year into our relationship. All his devices were taken but he was not questioned and no bail conditions. He has been in therapy for porn addiction and did some courses with LFF. He has really been through it, the waiting led him to suicide attempts. I was devestated, still am but I do believe he was in a bad place with his mental health and whatever happens with us I want to offer him compassion and support. 3 years post knock he hadn't heard anything at all until finally invited for a voluntary interview where he signed a statement to plead guilty for 1500 images on his devices. 2 months on he is now waiting for a court date, no bail conditions or restrictions. Is this normal? I'm scared he could go to prison and I don't think he'd survive it but the fact he has received no restrictions makes me believe they don't think he's dangerous? Any advice or reassurance would be welcome.
My lo received the knock 2 years before we met. He told me a year into our relationship. All his devices were taken but he was not questioned and no bail conditions. He has been in therapy for porn addiction and did some courses with LFF. He has really been through it, the waiting led him to suicide attempts. I was devestated, still am but I do believe he was in a bad place with his mental health and whatever happens with us I want to offer him compassion and support. 3 years post knock he hadn't heard anything at all until finally invited for a voluntary interview where he signed a statement to plead guilty for 1500 images on his devices. 2 months on he is now waiting for a court date, no bail conditions or restrictions. Is this normal? I'm scared he could go to prison and I don't think he'd survive it but the fact he has received no restrictions makes me believe they don't think he's dangerous? Any advice or reassurance would be welcome.
At the moment the prisons are very full. Unless they believe he is a risk to society the most likely outcome will be either a suspended sentence or community order which is served at home. Depending on the length of sentence will depend how many years theyre on the register and a lot of offenders get s SHPO which is very much based on their crime/s. So for image offences its usually monitoring software and stuff like that rather then restriction on where you can go. There are restrictions that come with being on the register so always check T&Cs before staying anywhere or looking to visit a country as some wont allow visas to SO on the register.
I hope this helps your anxiety a bit
I hope this helps your anxiety a bit
Thank you, I really appreciate that. How long does the shpo usually last?
Hi lookingforadvice! From what you say it sounds as if your person is now awaiting his plea hearing which will be at a magistrates court. I'm not sure what it was that he signed for the police but until he says the words 'guilty' in front of a magistrate or judge he's not restricted in what he pleads.
If a custodial sentence would be less than 12 months, then sometimes sentencing comes from the magistrates, but what very often happens is that the magistrates refer to crown court where a judge has capacity to sentence whatever they feel fits the case. Also in many, maybe most, cases a pre-sentence probation report is requested before sentencing. This is to give a judge some extra insight into a defendant's circumstances and an estimate of what the probation officer thinks would be an appropriate outcome eg prison or suspended sentence, so this can be a very useful thing to have done.
Whether your person can be sentenced at his plea hearing will depend on the actual facts of what has been found - 1500 is probably a mediumish number but it matters what category they are and whether he distributed them ie shared them anywhere. (Just be aware that the word 'making' in these cases means downloading them and not creating them from scratch.) The specifics would be in his charges if he's shown you the sheet. Most cases we see on here do get referred to crown court after their plea is heard.
I could bombard you with all kinds of advice for an actual sentencing hearing, but first things first and he will need a plea hearing before that. Of course if he decides to plead 'not guilty' then it goes to trial probably years down the line unless the courts clear their backlogs!
Let us know what happens and we can answer any questions you have about his sentencing, (or let us know the outcome if it happens at the plea hearing.)
On a positive note - our person got a suspended sentence at Crown Court after pleading guilty in magistrates for a similar number of images as your person and about a tenth of them were Categore A. It was a long wait between the plea hearing as a first sentencing date was adjourned for another 6 weeks for some reason - but we got there eventually and so will you.
Hugs sent.
If a custodial sentence would be less than 12 months, then sometimes sentencing comes from the magistrates, but what very often happens is that the magistrates refer to crown court where a judge has capacity to sentence whatever they feel fits the case. Also in many, maybe most, cases a pre-sentence probation report is requested before sentencing. This is to give a judge some extra insight into a defendant's circumstances and an estimate of what the probation officer thinks would be an appropriate outcome eg prison or suspended sentence, so this can be a very useful thing to have done.
Whether your person can be sentenced at his plea hearing will depend on the actual facts of what has been found - 1500 is probably a mediumish number but it matters what category they are and whether he distributed them ie shared them anywhere. (Just be aware that the word 'making' in these cases means downloading them and not creating them from scratch.) The specifics would be in his charges if he's shown you the sheet. Most cases we see on here do get referred to crown court after their plea is heard.
I could bombard you with all kinds of advice for an actual sentencing hearing, but first things first and he will need a plea hearing before that. Of course if he decides to plead 'not guilty' then it goes to trial probably years down the line unless the courts clear their backlogs!
Let us know what happens and we can answer any questions you have about his sentencing, (or let us know the outcome if it happens at the plea hearing.)
On a positive note - our person got a suspended sentence at Crown Court after pleading guilty in magistrates for a similar number of images as your person and about a tenth of them were Categore A. It was a long wait between the plea hearing as a first sentencing date was adjourned for another 6 weeks for some reason - but we got there eventually and so will you.
Hugs sent.