PERVERT HAD INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN ON HIS LAPTOP
29-YEAR-OLD LOCKED UP FOR 18 MONTHS
A PERVERTED Grimsby man was locked up as a judge warned it was to deter others from possessing and sharing indecent images of children. William Russell, 29, of Haven Gardens, had images of children as young as three years old on his laptop and iPhone when he was arrested by police at his home. Russell admitted a total of 16 offences of possessing and sharing grossly indecent images of children and animals obtained on the dark web.
He was jailed for a total of 18 months at Grimsby Crown Court. The defendant wept in the dock as Judge Mark Bury said he could not suspend the immediate jail sentence. “I cannot avoid an immediate sentence in order to punish you and deter others from this sort of behaviour which is unacceptable in a civilised society,” said the judge. He added he did not accept the defendant’s excuse of “a morbid curiosity” in schoolgirls in uniform and the “sense of daring.”
Judge Bury said Russell’s distribution of videos and images could only lead to an immediate prison sentence.
“If there were not people looking at such images then the market for it is significantly reduced and lessens the abuse of children,” he said. Prosecuting, Ian Goldsack told the court the offending was traced to Russell’s laptop which was seized when police attended his Grimsby home in November 2019.
On his arrest he told police: “Yes, I have seen them and thought that’s a bit gross. I sort of have a thing about older girls in school uniform, which is my big shot in the foot.
“It is something a bit taboo and something a bit different.”
Detailed examination of his phone and laptop revealed scores of videos and images of children which had been possessed and shared during a period from October 2018 to November 2019.
For Russell, Craig Lowe said his client suffered from autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression.
He said there were no previous offences and he made admissions to police on his arrest.
Mr Lowe added his client had sought counselling and support for his mental health and his offending behaviour.
He cares for his terminally-ill father and character references were given to the judge by the barrister.
“He is remorseful and racked by guilt and shame,” he told.
A Sexual Harm Prevention Order was imposed for 10 years and Russell will be on the Sex Offender Register for 10 years.
He is remorseful and racked by guilt and shame
Craig Lowe, mitigating