A 33-year-old man from Essex has been handed a suspended prison sentence after importing a childlike sex doll and possessing child abuse images. Simon Glerum was arrested following the interception of a parcel at Stansted Airport by Border Force officers.
The package, which arrived from Hong Kong and was labelled as a mannequin, contained a metre-tall anatomically correct doll along with items such as a body stocking. A subsequent search of Glerum's home in Great Bardfield led to the seizure of a laptop containing indecent images of children and a fictional story depicting child sexual abuse.
At Chelmsford Crown Court, Glerum pleaded guilty to importing the doll, three counts of making indecent images of a child, and one count of possession of a prohibited image. On Friday, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 24 months, with the sentence to run concurrently for all charges.
In addition, Glerum was issued a five-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered to complete a sex offender treatment programme and 20 rehabilitation days. Detective Inspector Neal Miller of Essex Police stated: 'The importation of childlike sex dolls can be an indication of offences being committed against children, as in this case, where images of child abuse were found on Glerum’s computer.'
Miller emphasised the force's commitment to tackling such offences, noting close collaboration with Border Force, the National Crime Agency, and the Crown Prosecution Service to prevent the importation of obscene items and protect children.
