Christopher Binns, a star on “8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown”, dodged jail despite hoarding 35,000 indecent child images
This shocking revelation left fans gobsmacked despite Binns confessing last year to owning these horrid images.
Derby Crown Court unveiled that the comedian stashed thousands of disturbing photos, snatched from the web over eight months.
Moreover, of the indecent images, 104 were of the gravest nature. Shockingly, another 411 were moderately serious and to add insult to injury, a whopping 34,946 were of the least harmful category. As if that wasn’t enough, Prosecutor Lauren Fisher found numerous moving images, adding another bombshell to the case.
Last year, authorities stormed Binns’s Derbyshire home and hauled away a staggering 39 tech gadgets, including trendy MacBooks and an iPad.
In the comedian’s defence, Matthew Hayes played the sympathy card, revealing that Binns’s medication gave him troubling side-effects. Earlier this year, Binns claimed this to be the case in a statement to comedy site Chortle. The 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown star claimed an ADHD med overdose sparked an unusual compulsion in him. However, he strongly denied seeking child content, staunchly stating, “I’m not attracted to kids.” To prove his point, he took and passed a lie detector test.
Still, Judge Smith lambasted Binns’s disgusting act but does believe Binns isn’t a menace and might not slip again. He stated that Binns felt repulsion about his own acts and declared the pandemic and medication played a part. The court gave Binns a 10-month suspended term.
The comic must now adhere to a 10-year prevention order. He’s also been slapped with a decade-long entry on the sex offenders list. Yet, it’s a fall from grace for the once-nominated comedian.
Binns, famed for his “Ivan Brackenbury” act, received a nomination for the Edinburgh Comedy Award 2007. Plus, he has had roles in “Spooks” and “IT Crowd”.
Now, his reputation is in tatters and he is unlikely to continue in the entertainment industry.