Black Country Living Museum worker 'quit over indecent images'

Dr John Beckerson, aged 42, earned around £40,000 a year as curator at the Dudley museum but called his employer to tell them he would be resigning after his arrest on March 1, 2016.

Police had forced entry to his home on Beechfield Grove, Bilston, in the early hours of the morning. They took two mobile phones and a Dell computer tower.

Subsequent searches found that across his devices he had 20 category A images of children, as well as 47 category B images, and that he had distributed 843 online.

Beckerson pleaded guilty to all three charges at Wolverhampton Crown Court and was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

Prosecuting Miss Fiona Cortese, said: "After he was arrested, the defendant said to officers he was a classic lonely man who looked at pictures online but had never touched anybody.

"He also told police that he had used chat rooms to distribute images.

"When he mentioned his job at the museum he told police that this did not put him in regular contact with children and he also added that he had no sexual interest in children."

Mr Robert Cowley, defending, told the court Beckerson had gone over and above what others arrested for similar offences would normally do to help police.

He said: "I don't for one minute argue that these offences are not suitable for a custodial sentence. However, the defendant has asked for and complied with the help offered to him in order to put this in the past, he has been frank and honest from the police from the outset.

"He was earning roughly £40,000 a year and is now working for between £700 and £900 a month, so the financial effect is huge for him."

Judge Simon Ward also ordered that Beckerson comply with a sexual harm prevention order, be placed on the sex offenders register for seven years and comply with a sexual offenders rehabilitation programme.

Judge Ward said: "These images show real children in real situations and by looking at them you create a demand."