Judge orders paedophile, 35, to undergo experimental eye therapy – and to pay for it himself – to curb his ‘perverted interest in children’
- Antony Akid, 35, admitted possessing indecent images of children at his home
- He has been ordered to undergo eye desensitisation therapy in Grimsby
- Akid was told he must undergo the treatment privately or through NHS
A judge has ordered a paedophile to undergo an experimental eye treatment to curb his ‘perverted interest in children’.
Antony Akid, 35, of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, admitted possessing indecent images of children when police visited his home.
Judge Ahmed Nadim deferred sentence on Akid in order to assess his response to eye desensitisation therapy, Grimsby Crown Court heard.
He was told he must undergo the treatment, either by paying for it himself or obtaining it through the NHS.
The order was made after the judge was told it was the second time in six years that Akid had been convicted of possession of indecent images of children following a previous conviction in 2014 when he admitted eight counts of possession and one of distribution of indecent images.
Antony Akid (pictured), 35, of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, admitted possessing indecent images of children when police visited his home
Back then he received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
The judge said this was ‘a persistent breach and a breach of the Sex Prevention Order imposed at the previous hearing.’
He said Akid admitted to ‘having a perverted interest (in children)’ though he had never ‘translated that into acting out those fantasies.’
It is one of the first times a judge has ordered the treatment at Grimsby Crown Court and made it a condition of a deferred sentence.
The therapy involves a relatively new treatment of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing.
It is available from the NHS and involves a patient recalling a traumatic event, usually from their childhood. At the same time the patient receives stimuli in a rhythmic left-right pattern.
The stimuli can be something the patient sense through hearing, sight or feeling.
Judge Ahmed Nadim deferred sentence on Akid in order to assess his response to eye desensitisation therapy, Grimsby Crown Court (pictured) heard
The bilateral stimulation could involve movement of the eyes from side to side or a tapping movements on different sides of your body.
Trained staff also use tones heard through one ear then the other wearing headphones.
The process lasts for around 90 minutes once a week. It is used in the treatment of panic attacks, anxiety, addictions and eating disorders where patients disclose their feelings as a practitioner moves an image from side to side as they are talking.
Judge Nadim said Akin had ‘ a perverted sexual interest in child pornography.’
‘You contribute to the exploitation of vulnerable children that leads to immeasurable harm. The images you viewed are created with harm and with consequential danger that lasts many years. The easiest thing would be to look at the guidance and determine how long you are going to prison for,’ the judge said.
He added: ‘I am willing to accept that you are committed to referring yourself to specialists and correcting yourself and re-focusing yourself. If that can be achieved that will be good for you and good for society. I am giving you a chance that you will take measures to correct yourself.
‘In the meantime you will not offend in any way shape or form and you will obtain counselling and therapy. I don’t expect you to wait for financial reasons.’
He said he wanted confirmation within three days that Akid had made contact with experts.
‘If you don’t you will appear before me and I will impose a significant sentence,’ the Judge warned him.
Before the judge deferred the case to August 27, prosecutor Paul Genney said police had visited Akid’s home in Grimsby in November 2019.
He denied possessing the images and any interest in indecent images of children and denied being a risk to children.
Mr Genney said police later found 227 images of the most serious classification involving children as young as three to four years old. There were a total of 593 in lesser categories.
Akin admitted downloading the images between March 2019 and November 2019.
For Akid, Craig Lowe said his client had experienced trauma as a child and is now seeking psychological support. He said he is exploring ‘Eye Desensitisation Therapy’ from an expert named in court as Stuart McLeod.
‘It is available on the NHS but can mean you have a long wait or he can pay privately and be seen within two months. He has made efforts to make sure he does not re-offend,’ said Mr Lowe.
He added his client would start rehabilitation therapy immediately.
The judge said Akid will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely and a condition of his bail is that he ‘has to obtain counselling and therapy with the named experts on a self-financing basis.’
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