Former table tennis coach sentenced for indecent images of children

A former table tennis coach has been given a three-year community order and a number of restrictions for making and distributing indecent images of children.

Alexander Mercer, 31, of Commercial Road in Grantham appeared at Lincoln Crown Court where he was sentenced for the following:

• Distributing 24 Category A indecent videos of children between 22 September 2014 to 28 January 2016.
• Distributing six Category B indecent images of children and 31 Category B indecent videos of a child between 22 September 2014 to 28 January 2016.
• Distributing 24 Category C indecent images of children and one Category C indecent video of a child between 22 September 2014 and 28 January 2016.
• Made 47 Category A indecent images of children and 102 Category A indecent videos of children between 15 September 2014 and May 2020.
• Made 56 Category B indecent images of children and 77 Category B indecent videos of children between 15 September 2014 and May 2020.
• Made 449 Category C indecent images of children and 15 Category C indecent videos of children between 15 September 2014 and May 2020.
• Possessed six prohibited images of a child between 15 September 2014 and May 2020

He pleaded guilty to all seven charges on Thursday 6 July.

Today, Mercer has been given a three-year community order and a 30-day rehabilitation requirement.

Additionally, he has been told to carry out 120 hours of community service.

Mercer has also been given a sexual harm prevention order and has been placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years.

He has been banned from working with children too.

The circumstances of making in this context means the images and videos were downloaded online. Distribution refers to images being sent to another party online.

Detectives from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) were made aware that indecent images and videos of children were being downloaded at an address in Grantham.

A warrant was executed at an address on Commercial Road on 12 May 2021 and Mercer was arrested. A number of different digital media devices belonging to Mercer were also seized during the warrant.

Digital examinations of his seized devices revealed indecent images and videos of children.

DC Gemma Oxby, lead investigator for the case, said: “We continue to evolve our investigative tools and processes with a clear message to criminals operating online – soon you will have nowhere to hide.

“Lincolnshire Police has strong working relationships with local and national partners including social media operators, with all agencies sharing information to clamp down on online criminal activity.

“Technology is evolving all the time and while these investigations can take some time to complete, everyone involved is determined to safeguard our children and bring offenders to justice.

“I would like to thank everyone for their hard work in this case and want criminals to know this type of behaviour will not be tolerated in Lincolnshire.”