By John Cassidy
Copyright belfastlive
A Co Antrim man was handed an enhanced combination order for a number sex offences. Evan Cody, 24, of Mill Road, Ballyclare , was ordered to carry out 60 hours community service and complete a three year probation order following Thursday’s hearing. He was sentenced after he previously pleaded guilty to five charges of downloading images of children being abused and one offence of causing a child under 16 to watch an adult engaging in a sex act. Belfast Crown Court heard that January 3, 2024, the defendant sent a number of videos of a male engaging in a sex act to a Snapchat group which he knew included a 14-year-old girl. Prosecution barrister Eoin Macdonald said the defendant used an account called ‘Evan Cody 1066’. “The mother of the 14-year-old girl provided a statement to police who geo-located the defendant’s mobile phone and he was arrested,” he said His digital media was seized for examination and a total of 51 indecent images were recovered along with the video posted to Snapchat. The court heard that at the age of 12 the defendant’s father committed suicide in 2012 “which had a significant impact on his mental health”. Three other relatives – his grandmother and two cousins – died over a two year period when Cody was still a child. Defence barrister Mark Farrell said Cody had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to all six offences. “He is a person who is extremely socially isolated and has had a number of traumas in his life,” said Mr Farrell. “I accept that this case is well deserving of custody but this young man needs a considerable amount of statutory help going forward.” In a pre-sentence report compiled by the Probation Board, the author stated that the defendant’s family traumas had never been treated and he became isolated and withdrawn from communicating with his teenage peers. As a result, Cody had not developed the necessary skill to “navigate the adult sexual arena”. The court heard the defendant has never had a girlfriend and has never had an intimate relationship. The report’s author stated that he “lacked the maturity or the ability to engage in adult conversations with adults”. Instead Cody used the online arena in an attempt to “meet his sexual needs during the commission of the offences, putting his own welfare above the victims”. At the time of the offences, Cody was the subject of a probation order for similar type of offending but it was prior to him completing the online sexual offences course. But his probation officers decided not to revoke the order and instead wanted to build upon the work they have already carried out with him. In his sentencing remarks, Judge Neil Rafferty KC said: “I want to make it clear that these are not child pornographic images. These are images of child abuse. “For every image, a real life, living and breathing child was abused to create that image. This is anything other than harmless.” Imposing the three year probation order under strict conditions and monitoring, Judge Rafferty told Cody he would be subject to supervision by experienced probation officers. Cody was placed on the sex offenders register for seven years and made the subject of a ten-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO). Judge Rafferty warned the defendant: “Any further breaches or any failure to comply with the order will result in you being brought back to court and I will have no difficulty in sending you to jail.” For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
