Conor McGrath, 29, pleaded responsible to 3 counts of creating indecent pictures of youngsters.
Conor McGrath, 29, admitted having 77 class A pictures (Picture: Stevenage Borough Council/LDRS)
A former aide to a Labour MP has been spared jail after downloading greater than 500 indecent pictures of youngsters. Conor McGrath, 29, was a borough councillor in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, between 2023 and 2025 and in addition labored for MP Kevin Bonavia. He has condemned the McGrath’s “sickening criminality”.
The defendant was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court docket on Friday (April 17) to eight months in jail, suspended for 2 years, after pleading responsible to 3 counts of creating indecent pictures of youngsters at a distinct court docket final month. He admitted having 77 class A pictures, 109 class B pictures and 329 class C pictures and movies between June 2024 and March 2025.
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Decide Jonathan Mann KC advised him: “If you happen to discover your method again to me for offences of this sort… I’ll revoke that order and off to jail you’ll go.”
McGrath, wearing a darkish go well with with a pink tie, wiped the nook of his eye as he stood within the dock on the finish of his sentencing.
The court docket heard he has misplaced his political profession and feels ashamed he has let down the individuals who elected him as councillor.
Police arrested McGrath at his residence on March 25 final 12 months on an unrelated matter and seized a number of units, together with his iPhone and iPad.
Whereas he was launched below investigation, he met a colleague at a pub and advised them that he was apprehensive police would discover “impolite pictures” on his units and suppose he was a paedophile, the court docket heard.
He additionally advised his then-colleague that he had deleted or tried to delete pictures on his units.
A referral was made after that assembly to Scotland Yard’s Parliamentary Diplomatic Safety Command and officers carried out a second search and seizure at McGrath’s residence.
Police ultimately discovered indecent pictures on the iPhone and iPad they seized within the unique search.
David Claxton, defending, mentioned his consumer felt “real regret” and had taken it upon himself to begin remedy to know what motivated him, after childhood trauma.
He mentioned: “One of many features of his disgrace is that he feels he has let down the individuals who elected him. That’s one thing he must dwell with.”
Mr Claxton mentioned McGrath has confronted “public disgrace”, including: “He has misplaced the profession that he had. He has no real looking prospect of resuming work in politics or adjoining to politics.”
In his sentencing remarks, the choose referred to the conclusion of the pre-sentence report which discovered McGrath had partial perception into his offending which was persevering with to develop.
After sentencing, Mr Bonavia mentioned: “I’m happy that Conor McGrath has been sentenced for his really appalling crimes immediately. There aren’t phrases to specific the horror I felt upon being made conscious of this sickening criminality.
“As quickly as I used to be made conscious of the allegations dealing with Mr McGrath, I instantly took motion to make sure the data was delivered to the eye of the authorities and his employment was terminated instantly upon his arrest. I’ve not had any contact with him since.
“My ideas immediately are with the victims and survivors of kid sexual abuse. We should proceed to do all we will to rid this vile scourge from our society and anybody discovered responsible of committing such abhorrent crimes should face the complete pressure of the regulation.”
Stevenage’s Labour MP Kevin Bonavia says he’s glad McGrath has been sentenced (Picture: Crown Copyright)
He thanked police and the justice system for pursuing the case.
A Labour Celebration spokesperson mentioned: “It’s proper that Conor McGrath has been sentenced for these heinous crimes.
“The Labour Celebration took swift motion to droop Mr McGrath as quickly as these allegations got here to our consideration. He’s not a member of the Labour Celebration.”
Claire Beards from the Crown Prosecution Service mentioned: “The quantity and nature of the indecent pictures that McGrath collected and saved confirmed his sustained and illegal sexual curiosity in youngsters.
“A number of the pictures have been among the many most critical and disturbing for which an individual might be prosecuted. Anybody who downloads, shops or shares indecent pictures of youngsters contributes on to their abuse and exploitation.
“We’re dedicated to working with the police to safeguard youngsters from sexual hurt and to prosecute those that commit these appalling offences.”
In addition to his suspended jail sentence, McGrath was ordered to finish 25 days of rehabilitation exercise requirement and 150 hours of unpaid work. He might be topic to a Sexual Hurt Prevention Order for 10 years.
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