Falmouth paedophile convicted for voyeurism escaped prison

Alan Barclay, aged 87, of Fenwick Road, Falmouth appeared at Truro Crown Court this week for sentencing after abandoning his appeal against a conviction for voyeurism and breaching sexual harm prevention orders.

He was given a total sentence of six months imprisonment suspended for 12 months.
The intimate videos of the woman were taken 18 years ago without her permission.

They were found in the possession of the serial child sex offender during a police visit as part of his bail conditions following his release from prison sentence for  the possession of hundreds of vile child rape and bestiality pictures and videos.

Barclay avoided going to prison (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police) 

Barclay was convicted in January of this year at Truro Magistrates Court, after pleading not guilty to one charge of voyeurism relating to 2006.

As previously reported by the Packet, Barclay was sentenced to 21 months in prison at the crown court in 2022, after the judge heard discs were found at his home with a large quantity of pictures and videos of children being abused, including 285 videos and 64 images of Category A - the most severe category of child abuse.

He had previously been convicted of a similar offence in 2019 but had escaped prison after he was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order, which prevented him from using a computer or devices capable of connecting to the internet.

The court heard in March last year police went to Mr Barclay’s address in Falmouth as part of a routine visit after he was released from prison for his original offence as part of his bail conditions.

They carried out a search of his home and found CDs in racks in his “office” upstairs. When police looked at them they found six intimate videos of a woman that appeared to have been taken secretly. They also found many more child sex pictures and videos.

They identified the woman who told them she’d been totally unaware they had been taken.
One of the officers involved in the prosecution told the court that when they told the woman what they’d found she was horrified and devastated.

In a statement given to the police the woman said she was appalled by what had happened. She said had never sent any intimate videos of herself to Barclay or anyone.

Barclay was given three months imprisonment suspended for 12 months for voyeurism, with a further three months imprisonment suspended for 12 months consecutively, for breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). 

The total sentence was six months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.