March 2003

Married accountant jailed for child porn

Detectives investigating the activities of sex offenders in Merton have confirmed their commitment to prosecuting internet paedophiles, after a married accountant was jailed for possessing horrific pornographic photos of children.

Timothy Nichols, 49, appeared for sentence at Kingston Crown Court on Monday after admitting three separate counts of possessing indecent images of children.

He had originally pleaded not guilty to the charges and was due to stand trial in February, but he changed his plea to guilty when police uncovered weaknesses in his defence case.

Officers raided his home in Grasmere Avenue, Morden, in September 2001 and uncovered a stash of sickening images on his computer, many of which were categorised by police as being at the top of the pornographic scale.

They later found he had subscribed to a website owned by Landslide Inc, the US-based company investigated by the FBI for selling and offering access to child porn, which prompted a global investigation into thousands of suspects.

Nichols, who moved from Merton to Wandsworth after the allegations came to light, faced charges relating to the possession of 35 separate images stored in files and discs on his computer.

He was given three sentences six months, two months and two months for each respective charge all to run concurrently. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for seven years and given an extended supervision period of three years.

Detective Sergeant Brian Rooney, of Merton’s public protection unit, said officers were working hard to trace and prosecute offenders. He told the Guardian: “This conviction represents the commitment by Merton Police to protect the community from paedophiles.”