Pervert found with thousands of indecent images of children
Police swooped on a pervert’s house after being alerted that indecent pictures of children were being shared with others online.
Officers turned up at the home of 40-year-old Alexander Smith last June acting on information about the distribution of the illegal material.
Theyfoundhehadamassed acollectionofmorethan4,000 indecent images and movies of children over two years including more than 1,300 of the worst kinds of abuse.
Police seized a mobile phone when they went to Smith’s house.
Matthew Hopkins, prosecuting at Teesside Crown
Court, said: “It was analysed and it showed between the 18th of June last year and 20th of June the defendant engaged in three instant messenger chats with three separate individuals. He sent them a total of14categoryCindecentimages of girls aged between eight and 14.”
Also,inahiddenapp,police found1,359stillandmovingimagesinthehighestcategory,781 in the next, and 2,055 in the lowestcategoryofseriousness.
Smith, of Alice Street, Sunderland, told police he stumbled across them while searching for legal pornography but continued to hunt them out.
MrHopkinsadded:“Hesaid he did get some sexual gratification from the pictures in the past but he would never harm any children.”
The court heard Smith lost his job as a result of his arrest and has had a difficult time
since with his mental health.
He admitted three charges ofmakingindecentimagesand
one of distribution.
Chris Baker, defending, acceptedjailwaspossiblebutappealed to the judge to suspend the term saying he cooperated fully with the police and can be helped by the probation service.
Judge Chris Smith described the offences as “troubling”.
He said: “Make no mistake, this offending is so serious as tojustifyimprisonment.Atthe other end of the camera that’s recording those pictures is a child who is being sexually abused and the court knows thatsexualabuseinflictsharm upon its victims with often life changing consequences.”
Smith, who committed the offences in Hartlepool, was sentenced to nine months’ prison, suspended for two years. His phone will be destroyed and he will be on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.