Porn addict teenager reported himself to Childline but later was caught with sick images


A pornography-addicted teenager reported himself to Childline in a “cry for help” years before he was arrested for having child abuse images.

Kyle Brown was 16 when he went to the confidential counselling service, isolated and ashamed as pornography “took over his life”.

It led to an investigation by social services and police, but “nothing came of it”, Teesside Crown Court heard today.

“When he was 16 he contacted Childline to report himself, to get help,” said his advocate Damian Sabino.

“For a young lad of 16 years of age to take that step would take significant courage, particularly in the current climate.

“It appears to have been an opportunity missed.”
Three years later Brown was in the dock after he was caught with pictures of child abuse.

Now 19 and believed to be on the autistic spectrum, he admitted three charges of making indecent photographs of children.

Prosecutor Harry Hadfield said police seized storage devices and found 52 of the illegal images including videos on a tablet.

Disturbing images of boys included rape
He told how officers found images of vulnerable pre-pubescent boys, with some particularly disturbing material involving rape.

“Some appear to be as young as five,” added Mr Hadfield.
“He was obviously involved in a network that involved these images being made available.”

Brown, of Thames Avenue, Guisborough , faced a potential prison sentence of up to three years for his first offences.

Mr Sabino told the court today: “It’s as so often is the case in matters of this type. It’s the same sad story.

“Here we’ve got somebody who’s a young person struggling to communicate, isolated from society and his peers.

‘The dark world of the worldwide web and pornography’
“He’s escaped into the dark world, the fantasy world of the worldwide web and pornography.

“It appears he had a particular niche that he sought.”

He said Brown might not have had control of what was downloaded in a “smorgasbord” of material.

He added: “Whilst these are serious offences, and the public would quite rightly expect people to be punished significantly, it would appear that long-term protection of the public could be satisfied by intervention.”

A psychiatrist believed Brown had autistic spectrum traits which had not been properly diagnosed before, and might have Asperger syndrome.

Judge Sean Morris said: “He’s constantly ashamed of himself. He’s almost been suicidal because of this addiction, and he’s pleaded guilty.

“He needs help, especially as he’s tried to get help.”

‘That was a cry for help. You didn’t get it’

Turning to sentence, he told Brown: “You’ve become fixated from an early age on pornography.

“So much so that it seems to have taken over your life somewhat. You lived a solitary existence.

“But what is noteworthy is that you’ve always felt a deep shame about it and had tried to give up this addiction.

“And so much so that when you were 16 you sought help from Childline, effectively reporting yourself, which resulted in the authorities investigating and the police being involved.

“But nothing came of it, which was a surprise to you.

“That was, in my view, a cry for help. You didn’t get it.

”You knew it was wrong’
“Nothing was done for somebody with this kind of fixation to help you.

“But you knew it was wrong. You know what’s right and you know what’s wrong and you should, even though you weren’t getting the help, have had the courage to seek help again and stop it.

“It has to be a prison sentence but it’s not going to be immediate, and I’m going to get help for you.
“If you get caught doing this again, the courts’ hands will be tied, you will go to prison.”
Brown was given a 10-month custodial sentence suspended for two years with 30 days’ rehabilitation activity including one-to-one work.
He was given a five-year sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.