A MAN who failed to turn up at court last week because he had jet-lag finally appeared in front of a judge yesterday.

Bryan Hall, 53, admitted a string of child pornography charges and will return to court next month to be sentenced.

Married man Hall, of Beaconsfield Street, Darlington, was supposed to appear at Teesside Crown Court last Tuesday.

His barrister told a judge that he had been in Thailand for “a protracted hearing”

over Christmas and got home tired.

Jonathan Walker, defending, did not elaborate on details of the hearing, but revealed that Mr Hall’s wife is a Thai national.

Judge Howard Crowson described the explanation for Mr Hall’s non-attendance as “an awful reason for not being here”.

Yesterday, he appeared in front of a different judge and admitted 16 charges of making indecent photographs of children.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of possessing indecent pictures between March 2003 and his arrest in March 2009.

The judge, Recorder Michael Slater, adjourned the case until February 18 so background reports could be prepared.

Mr Walker said Hall had never before been in trouble and a report would help to assess the risk he poses.

Mr Recorder Slater also agreed to a request from prosecutor Dan Cordey that Hall should surrender his passport.

He told Hall: “The next stage in the proceedings is for you to see the Probation Service so a report can be prepared about you. The fact I am adjourning your case on bail for a report doesn’t necessarily mean any indication of sentence. All sentencing options will be open on that date to the sentencing judge, including custody.”

Last week, Mr Walker said Hall had suffered delays with connecting flights to the UK and was badly jet-lagged.

Mr Walker told Judge Crowson: “It would seem to be an unusual concoction of dishonesty to put together.”

Judge Crowson said: “I am prepared to accept that it is true, but it is not a good reason for not being here.”

  • We wish to make it clear that the Englishman Bryan Hall involved in this article is NOT the same individual as Mr Bryan Hall, an Australian who works in Thailand as a TV professional, and who therefore has absolutely nothing to do with this case.