Dangerous Horncastle sex offender fails in '˜hopeless' conviction appeal

A '˜dangerous' Horncastle sex offender has earned himself an extra two weeks in jail after wasting top judges' time with a hopeless conviction appeal.
Kevin Isham.Kevin Isham.
Kevin Isham.

Kevin James Isham, 54, of Sellwood Gardens, Horncastle, was initially jailed for two-and-a-half years at Lincoln Crown Court on August 18 last year.

Isham had been convicted of three counts of making indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

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He was also found guilty of breaching a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) and one count of attempted sexual grooming of a child under 16.

Branded dangerous, he was ordered to spend an extra four years on licence after his release from custody.

His crimes came to light in September 2016 when police discovered an extreme pornographic image had been uploaded to a Facebook account associated with Isham.

Mrs Justice May told London’s Appeal Court yesterday (Wednesday) that at the time of the discovery, Isham was a convicted sex offender, subject to a SOPO which included restrictions on his internet use.

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When police searched his car they found a mobile phone, containing indecent images of children and an extreme pornographic image involving bestiality.

There was also a chat log of messages between Isham and a 15-year-old girl.

The issue at his trial was whether or not he was the person using the mobile phone, said the appeal judge.

Isham’s defence was that his van had been broken into and he had been set up by someone who planted the phone, but the jury did not believe him.

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At the appeal, he argued that his convictions were ‘unsafe’ and should be overturned.

But Mrs Justice May said his appeal amounted to ‘an attempt to re-argue the defence’ which the jury rejected at trial.

There was ‘overwhelming evidence’ that Isham was using the phone in the relevant period.

His defence was ‘entirely fanciful’ and his conviction was ‘entirely safe’, added the judge, who was sitting with two others.

As Isham’s appeal was so hopeless and had wasted court time, the judges took the rare step of adding 14 days onto his jail time.

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