Colin Hewitt convicted of sharing suicide scene pictures

The case was heard at Newtownards Magistrates' Court

A 35-year-old Belfast man has been convicted of three counts of sharing images that included crime scene pictures of suicide victims.

Colin Hewitt from Hyndford Street in east Belfast shared the offensive and "perverted" images of two suicide scenes.

The court heard that Hewitt, formerly known as Scott Longworth, was "a convicted, registered sex offender".

District Judge Mark Hamill described him as a man of little reputation.

Hewitt is subject to a sexual offences prevention order.

The judge said if there had not been such a "disconnect" between the offences and the case concluding - a time span of more than six years - "an immediate custodial sentence would have been inevitable".

Describing the case as a "spin-off" from the trial of two police officers accused of misconduct in public office for allegedly sharing the same images of the scenes of two suicides, District Judge Hamill added: "I can only imagine the distress this has caused the families of the deceased".

Newtownards Magistrates' Court heard that while it was not known how Hewitt had come into possession of the images, "they can only have been taken by an officer who was present at the scene".

'Utterly grotesque'

Judge Hamill said the "real gravamen" of the case would be when two police officers went on trial at Belfast Crown Court in 2024.

He said regarding Hewitt, it was difficult "sentencing a man without reputation" for the three charges of the improper use of a telecommunications network.

He said Hewitt was "a man with a perverted interest in children and who has caused further damage" sharing "utterly grotesque images".

However the judge added he had never come across "a delay as manifest as this" between the offences in 2017 in the case coming before the court.

District Judge Hamill told Hewitt if the case had been dealt with closer to the time of the offences, he would have jailed him.

Because of the delay he instead said he would impose a two-year conditional discharge, warning Hewitt that if he committed further offences in that time "the delay will not count again".