A paedophile chef has dodged jail time after claiming a pub where he worked was allowing him to stay on. Steven Finall, 45 gathered a revolting pile of pictures and videos of children being abused including despicable images of toddlers being raped.
Despite this, he was given a suspended prison sentence and a court heard he would carry on working at his job at 'the Swan' in Winwick as kitchen manager, the Liverpool Echo reports. It was later argued by the pub's owners that they were unaware of Finall's crime at the time, although they have made the controversial decision to support him in court.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on September 27, that Cheshire Police received information earlier this year regarding concerning activity on Finall's Snapchat and they subsequently searched the paedophile's home in Warrington on January, 13. Officers executing the search warrant seized a Samsung tablet computer and a mobile phone.
These devices were subsequently found to contain 34 pictures and two videos graded as being category A indecent images, materials showing the most serious forms of abuse. Also discovered were 32 category B photographs, as well as 121 pictures and one video in category C.
Most were found in cache files, having been deleted from Finall's photo gallery. The images had been collected over the previous 12 months, with one having shown a two-year-old child being raped.
Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, described how terms used to search the internet "indicated the defendant had been specifically searching for that type of material". Finall, who works 55-hour weeks at the Swan in Winwick and has no previous convictions, was also in possession of a bag of cocaine.
Under interview after being arrested, he "appeared to accept he received indecent images of children". But the court heard that he has received "remarkable support from his employer" - with Simeon Evans, defending, adding: "He has been honest with his employer and his family, and he is supported in court today."
Finall - who gave his address in court as the Golborne Road pub - admitted possession of indecent images, possession of cocaine and three counts of making indecent images. He was given a six-month imprisonment suspended for two years and was told to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.
Recorder Mark Ainsworth also imposed a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 35 days plus a sexual harm prevention order and a notification requirement, both lasting seven years. Sentencing, the judge said: "For you, it must have been a shock to find yourself standing in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court.
"You must understand that the court takes a very dim view of this sort of conduct. The point that needs to be emphasized time and time again is that behind each of those images is a child being sexually abused.
"If there was no marketplace for those images and people like you looking on the internet searching for them, the abuse would not take place. The circumstances of this case are such that, while I am obliged to impose a sentence of imprisonment, it can be suspended due to their being a good prospect of rehabilitation.
"I do think it is impressive that your employer is standing by you. I do believe the probation service can work well with you to ensure that this conduct is not repeated in the future." Finall was told to pay a victim surcharge, with forfeiture of the electronics and destruction of the drugs ordered.
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