Pervert back in jail for downloading images
Police found over 150 indecent pictures on pensioner’s laptops
PERVERT pensioner Peter Cooke has been jailed after downloading scores of indecent images of children.
The 66-year-old registered sex offender was convicted in 2009 of attempting to facilitate the commission of a child sex offence and four charges of making indecent images of children.
He was handed a nine-year extended sentence. And a year later he was jailed for a further 12 months with one year’s licence for acting with intent to defraud the revenue. That meant he remained on licence until 2020.
But within weeks of his licence period expiring, the defendant downloaded scores of indecent images of children. Some showed children as young as three being sexually abused.
Officers seized his laptop but returned to his home three months later and found another laptop which contained more indecent images of children.
Now, Cooke has been jailed for 10 months.
Prosecutor Antony Longworth said police attended the defendant’s home on August 20, 2020, and he appeared anxious.
His devices were examined and officers found ‘ccleaner’ – software which erases the use of the internet – and TOR browser, which contacts the dark web.
The laptop was seized and found to have 23 category A images; 21 at category B and 126 at category C.
Mr Longworth said: “The defendant admitted he had been accessing and viewing indecent images for the previous two months.
“All the images were inaccessible. They had been viewed but attempts were made to delete them.”
Police went to the defendant’s home again on November 12 and seized another laptop.
Mr Longworth said: “The officer was able to determine the TOR browser had been deleted from it. It was sent off to be examined and was found to contain 10 category C images.”
The defendant accepted he accessed the indecent images. He said he looked at the images when stressed.
He claimed he did not get sexual gratification from viewing the images but felt disappointed with himself.
Cooke, of Spinney Close,
Endon, pleaded guilty to four charges of making indecent images of a child.
Paul Kay, mitigating, said the defendant has medical problems including colon cancer, a tumour on his liver and is being investigated for bowel cancer.
He said Cooke pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
Mr Kay added: “He is very ashamed of what he’s done.”
But Judge Sally Hancox said the sentence had to be immediate custody.
She told Cooke: “You indicate you got no sexual gratification from looking at the images. Why have you gone to them? Why have you gone to them again?”
Cooke was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 10 years and remains on the sex offenders’ register for life.