The 34-year-old was before a court in Belfast where he was sentenced for his offending
A County Antrim man has been jailed for 14 months for offences of voyeurism and making indecent photographs of children.
Craig Cully appeared from custody at Belfast Crown Court to be sentenced on a total of nine charges he faced.
In August this year the 34-year-old, whose address on court papers was given as care of a solicitor’s office in Ballymena, entered guilty pleas to viewing a female in a private act and without her consent for the purposes of his own sexual gratification.
He also admitted taking and making indecent photographs of a child, possessing extreme pornography and possessing a prohibited image of a child.
The defendant further pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice, namely that he concealed a mobile phone from the PSNI. The offences were committed on dates between March 22, 2022 and February 28, 2023.
Belfast Crown Court heard that on February 27, 2023, police went to Cully’s home following the receipt of information suggesting computer equipment at the address might contain indecent images of children.
A prosecution lawyer said: “At 10 am officers forced entry to the home. Police explained the nature of their enquiries and the defendant was arrested on suspicion of making indecent images of children, possessing them and distributing them.
“When cautioned, Cully replied: ‘Can you get my tablets?’ A search of the address was conducted and the defendant was conveyed to Musgrave police station for interview and declined legal representation. He denied any indecent offences.”
The court heard that later that day police were contacted and told Cully’s mobile phone was found in the sofa of his home. Police again attended the address and seized the Samsung phone. The phone along with other devices were subjected to a forensic analysis and indecent images of children were found.
Judge Neil Rafferty KC said that when interviewed by a probation officer for a pre-sentence report, Cully ‘laughed’ at the charge of perverting the course of justice by concealing his mobile phone from police.
“That is a strange reaction, quite frankly, as that is the count of perverting the course of justice,” said Judge Rafferty.
The court heard the probation officer questioned Cully’s motivation behind his offending and he said he was “heavily involved in taking cocaine”.
The defendant was assessed as a high likelihood of reoffending due to his sexual recidivism. At the arraignment hearing in August this year, a defence lawyer said Cully was previously sentenced at Antrim Crown Court for possessing indecent images on two separate bills of indictment and received a 28 month sentence. He was due to be released in December this year.
On Friday Judge Rafferty made Cully the subject of Sexual Offences Prevention Order for a period of 10 years. Cully was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for a period of five years. The court granted a destruction order for all seized devices.
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