Mansfield man sentenced for bestiality image sent to him in Whatsapp chat five years ago
A Mansfield man was found with an "appalling" bestiality image on his phone that he received in a Whatsapp chat group five years ago, a court has heard.
Grant Allen was being investigated for separate offences which weren't charged when the image, which was sent in June 2021, was discovered, said Lucy Woodcock, prosecuting.
According to court papers, the image portrayed "in an explicit and realistic way, a person performing an act of intercourse with a live animal, namely dog, which was grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character."
Mark Stocks, mitigating, said Allen, who has no previous convictions, deserved credit for his early guilty plea and delays to the case coming to court weren’t of his making.
"There is no sentencing guideline for this offence," he said. "This is the least serious type of this offence.”
At the time Allen had a job in the housekeeping department at King's Mill Hospital.
"As a consequence of this conviction he was sacked and turned down for similar jobs in care homes,” Mr Stocks said.
"He is now in receipt of Universal Credit.
"There had been no complaint made to the police. There is no suggestion he showed it to anyone else. "
Mr Stocks said the defendant failed in his legal duty to delete the unsolicited image within one week.
Allen, aged 59, of Howard Road, Mansfield, admitted possessing an extreme pornographic image when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on November 11, last year.
On Tuesday, magistrates ruled that it was unnecessary to impose a sexual harm prevention order. He was fined £120 with £85 costs and a £48 surcharge.