Convicted CT sex offender found guilty of possessing more than 50 images of child pornography

A Connecticut sex offender was found guilty of possessing more than 50 images of child pornography.

A Superior Court jury convicted Paul Sykes, 54, of Bridgeport of first-degree possession of child pornography, according to Bridgeport State’s Attorney Joseph T. Corradino.

The six-person jury deliberated less than half a day this week before finding Sykes, a computer repairman, guilty of possessing more than 50 images of child pornography, the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice said in a statement.

A National Center for Missing & Exploited Children representative testified that at least 12 of those children were positively identified, according to court records.

“The jury worked through difficult and shocking evidence to reach an appropriate verdict,” said Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Tiffany Lockshier.

The state was represented by Lockshier with the assistance of Supervisory Inspector Richard Lindberg, who called six witnesses including personnel from the the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Connecticut State Police and the Internet Crimes Against Children Forensic Laboratory.

“Ms. Lockshier, the witnesses, and the jurors are to be commended for dealing with such traumatizing material with professionalism and dispassionate attention to a very unpleasant task,” Corradino said.

Sykes, who is serving the eight-year balance of a 20-year sentence for violating probation on previous charges of possession of child pornography and sexual assault on a child, is facing an additional 20 years when he is sentenced by Judge Earl B. Richards III on July 24, according to the DCJ.