On Friday, at Antrim Crown Court, a 75-year-old man David Harper, convicted of 20 offences, including attempted sexual communication with a child and the making, possessing, and distributing of indecent, prohibited, and extreme images of children, has been sentenced to 2 years.

Harper’s sentence includes 8 months to be served in prison, followed by 1 year and 4 months on licence. Additionally, he will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and subjected to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for seven years.

The charges against Harper stem from his online behavior, which came under scrutiny, leading to a search of his property by law enforcement authorities. During the search, multiple electronic devices were seized for forensic examination, and Harper was subsequently arrested and charged with child abuse-related offences.

This proactive investigation is a testament to the dedication of the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Child Internet Protection Team. This specialised unit is staffed with officers trained explicitly to combat online offences and safeguard individuals who may have been exploited.

Detective Inspector Richard Vasey, leading the case, emphasised the importance of such proactive work and issued a clear warning to online predators. “Our message is clear,” he stated, “if a person is downloading, viewing, or making indecent images of children, you are leaving a digital footprint, and we are actively looking for you. We use specialist technology to detect digital devices, making it difficult for offenders to hide evidence from the police.”

He further emphasised the commitment of law enforcement to target individuals in the community who seek to harm children. Vasey encouraged anyone with concerns or information related to child exploitation to contact the police, either by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency. Assuring the public of prompt action, he stated, “We will act on the information we receive.”