Hereford site manager Gary Godsall jailed over indecent child pictures

Gary Godsall, 50, admitted to police that searching for child pornography on the internet made him aroused, with six category C pictures found on the laptop.

But he was sentenced to 42 weeks in prison as he was already subject to a suspended sentence for a “huge” number of indecent pictures found previously, prosecution solicitor Valerie Hart told Worcester Crown Court.

RELATED NEWS:

• Hereford hammer attacker stabbed man to death
• Accused man banned from Hereford Morrisons supermarket ahead of trial
• Hereford fare dodger fined hundreds after failing to buy train ticket

Before being sentenced in 2021, Godsall changed his name to David Smith in a bid to protect his family from the shame, defence barrister Edmund Middleton said.

Having now changed his name back, Godsall, formerly of Harvey Road in Hereford but now of HMP Hewell, pleaded guilty to possessing the six pictures and being in breach of the previous sentence of 18 months suspended for two years.

Ms Hart told the court that his company noticed he had been trying to access prohibited content on his work laptop, but the content was deleted when they asked to see the device in January 2023. Ms Hart said this was a deliberate attempt to conceal evidence.

An independent forensics firm managed to retrieve pictures and Godsall was arrested. In a police interview, Ms Hart said Godsall admitted he was interested in searching for “teens” and got aroused by that.

She said Godsall told police that he wouldn’t be interested in children he saw on the street, but liked the pictures he found online.

The court heard he had taken steps to address his previous offending, with the most serious category A pictures among the “huge number” previously found.

Mr Middleton said Godsall had a senior position as a site manager for multi-million pound developments and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after nine years in the Armed Forces.

OTHER NEWS:

• Rural hill walker with hypothermia rescued during blizzard-like weather
• Plans for new library at Hereford shopping centre get green light
• Town pub reopens after huge refurbishment

Sentencing him to 42 weeks in prison, Recorder Martin Butterworth said Gosdall used his work laptop to “fulfil your compulsion” to look at indecent pictures of children, who were real victims of abuse.

He acknowledged Godsall’s early guilty pleas, professional progress and mental health, but said the offence was aggravated by his previous offending, concealing evidence and the failure to effectively rehabilitate.

An existing 10-year sexual harm prevention order was amended and he will be subject to a seven-year notification period.

Godsall was told to pay a surcharge and to expect to serve half of his sentence in prison before being released on licence.