Petition calls for review of child sex pervert's sentence
A petition calling for a review into the sentence of a convicted paedophile who had more than 250,000 indecent images of children was being handed in at Parliament today.
The document, signed by more than 100 villagers in Bronington, near Whitchurch, also calls for the introduction of automatic jail terms for those convicted of sexual offences against children.
Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones said the petition was calling for the Attorney General to urgently review the sentence handed out earlier this year to Dennis Igo, from Bronington, at Mold Crown Court.
The 53-year-old, of Little Green, admitted 16 charges after the court heard he had 255,667 indecent images and 834 movies on his home computer.
Igo admitted making and possessing indecent images of children aged between five and 14 between January 2006 and March 2013. The court heard the once successful businessman would look at the images and films for up to three or four hours per day.
He was sentenced to two years in prison in May this year – but Judge Niclas Parry opted to suspend the jail term for two years because of "exceptional circumstances". Igo was also ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work and sent on a specialist internet sex offender course.
Susan Elan Jones said she was due to present the petition to the Speaker of the House of Commons between 6.30pm and 7.30pm tonight.
"The petition has been signed by a large number of people from Bronington," she said.
"This petition is part of a wider campaign to raise awareness about the serious nature of online child abuse.
"It is our desire to change the law so that sentences awarded in cases like that of Dennis Igo become mandatory custodial.
"We also wish to see the Attorney General having the power to review inadequate sentences in cases of online child abuse in the same way that he can do at present in cases of child cruelty and child abuse."
The petition reads: "The petitioners believe that the two-year suspended sentence and three hundred hours of community service handed down to Dennis Igo was far too low.
"Mr Igo possessed more than 250,000 indecent images of children. The petitioners believe that the low sentence handed down to Mr Igo sends the wrong message to other people committing similar offences.
"The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons requests that the Attorney General review the sentence given to Dennis Igo."
