Animal sex charges against Kesgrave vet dropped, but child images admitted

Thirty-six-year-old Oliver Lown had denied five charges of sexual activity with live animals dating back to 2013 but on Friday (July 1) at Ipswich Crown Court the prosecution offered no evidence on the charges and not guilty verdicts were recorded.

However, Lown, of Main Road, Kesgrave, pleaded guilty to three offences of making indecent images of children and attempting to pervert the course of justice by throwing his laptop in a pond in an effort to destroy evidence and evade police inspection.

The court heard that 66 of the indecent images were in the most serious level A category, 36 were in category B and 33 were in the lowest level C category.

Judge Martyn Levett adjourned sentence until August 12 for a pre-sentence report and warned Lown that the fact he was adjourning sentence for a report was no indication of the sentence he would receive.

Lown had also denied possessing small amounts of heroin and cannabis and not guilty verdicts were recorded on these charges after prosecution counsel Lynn Shirley offered no evidence.

In 2015 Lown, who has been banned from practising as a vet, was jailed for 24 weeks after he admitted possessing extreme pornography which portrayed sex acts with animals.

On that occasion the court heard that police went to Lown’s Kesgrave home in January 2014 after receiving information that he could be in possession of videos and images involving bestiality.

Officers seized a number of items including laptops, a hard-drive and DVDs and when they were analysed some were found to contain pornographic images involving animals.

In addition to being jailed for 24 weeks Lown, who became a vet after studying in Hungary, was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

In February last year Lown was arrested in Ireland and faced extradition after he failed to attend a hearing at Suffolk Magistrates Court in December 2020.

He is currently remanded in custody.