Child porn man spared jail term
AnNHSworkerfacesthesack afterbeingcaughtwithahaul of child abuse images.
David Bell, who is currently suspended from his role as a receptionist with the health service, had a secret collection of 29 pictures of children, aged between six and 14, stored on his laptop computer at home.
The 57-year-old initially claimed to police, who found the images when they raided his house in November 2016, that he had accidentally stumbled across vile abuse sites by innocently pressing on a link from a football page.
But the married dad later admitted he had viewed and shared the shocking photographs in chatrooms.
Bell, of Fountains Close, Biddick, Washington, pleaded guilty to three charges of making and possessing indecent images of children.
Newcastle Crown Court heard two of the pictures were in the most serious category of their type.
Prosecutor Michael Bunch said: “There was evidence of the use of key word searches for the terms typical of those looking for such images which had been entered into the laptop.”
Mr Recorder John Thackray sentenced Bell to four months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, with rehabilitation requirements and a seven-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sex offender registration.
The judge told him: “Those who watch this encourage those to commit the original offences.”
The judge said there can be “no doubt” that Bell had a sexual interest in children but is deeply ashamed and able to be managed safely in the community.
Bell has been assessed as posing a “very low” risk.
John Wilkinson, defending, said Bell is currently suspended from his NHS role and faces a disciplinary hearing later this month.
“He fully expects he will be sacked.”