Man caught with indecent images of youngsters is spared jail
A MAN tracked down by police via a Skype chat room has avoided prison for downloading indecent images of children.
Police traced Keith Rushton, 72, because he was on a Skype chat room where indecent images of children were shared, a court heard.
Officers raided his home on Bollinbarn Drive Macclesfield, and seized a computer which had indecent images of children, two of the most serious category A and nine category B images.
Rushton pleaded guilty to making indecent images and apologised to the court when he defended himself at sentencing this week.
Magistrates described his actions ‘were very serious’ and went against a recommendation by probation to give him a community order.
They gave him an eight month prison sentence, suspended for two years but warned him he had been close to going to prison.
Prosecuting, Eileen Rogers said Rushton was traced via another offender in Hertfordshire who had been using the Skype chat room.
She said: “Rushton was found to be involved in the chat room and police made further investigations.
“They executed a warrant and seized a laptop and he was arrested.
“He told police he had chatted to other males on Skype and admitted getting sexual gratification looking at images of young children but would never harm a child.
He said he knew it was wrong and had deleted his images. He had cleared his internet history but officers found two category A and nine category B images.”
Rushton admitted the offences between January 19 2012 and June 6 2017.
Defending himself in court, he said: “I just want to apologise. It was stupid.
“[I] hope the court take account of my early guilty plea and my co-operation with police.”
Chairman of the bench Keith Williams said: “This is a very serious business.
“We also know that you have deleted images.
“These offences are so serious that only custody is appropriate.
“Probation suggests that it can work with you to help you not to commit another offence and that’s the only reason you’re not going to prison today.”
Rushton is subject to a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order which bans him having any device which connects to the internet without permission from police and having any contact with a child under 16.