Lorry driver who took indecent images of child aged three jailed for 12 months

A YORKSHIRE lorry driver who took secret photos of a child aged just three on smartphones has been jailed for 12 months.

Geoffrey Crowther, from Boroughbridge, pleaded guilty at York Crown Court to multiple charges of making and taking indecent images of children.

The 72- year- old admitted making four indecent images of children in the most serious Category A, between June 2017 and November 2018, making three indecent images of children in Category B and making 10 indecent images of children in Category C during the same period.

He also pleaded guilty to having secretly taken pictures of a three- year- old girl on two different smartphones. The photos were in Category C and dated between April 30, 2017, and November 14, 2018.

Crowther was arrested in November 2018 and a search warrant was carried out at his home after police received intelligence about suspicious online activity which linked back to him.

The investigation spanned nearly 18 months and he was eventually charged on April 1 this year, pleading guilty to the offences last month.

Safeguarding measures have now been put in place regarding the youngster whose photograph was taken, with police confirming there had been “no contact offences against the girl”.

A North Yorkshire Police detective said Crowther had, to this day, not been able to fully explain why he took the photos and had said he had got no sexual gratification out of them.

Crowther had shown genuine remorse since his initial arrest, but he had subsequently not been forthcoming about what was contained on his digital devices, the officer said.

Detective Constable Fiona Saunderson, of the Online Abuse & Exploitation Team, said: “Geoffrey Crowther did something unthinkable by taking indecent images of a young child. His despicable actions were a grotesque breach of trust which has devastated lives.”