Double life of dad with sick stash of child abuse images

THE disgusting ‘double life’ of a 65-year-old man was revealed by chance after he left a USB filled with child abuse images at his former partner’s home.

Alan Wills was jailed after pleading guilty to six counts of making indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornographic images involving animals. But the father-of-two’s secret was only found out by chance, after his ex-girlfriend’s new companion discovered the USB stick lying around her house and attempted to use it legitimately for work in 2018 – three years after the woman’s on-off relationship with Wills had ended, Bolton Crown Court heard. The horrified couple reported their findings to police and Wills was arrested in March 2018.

After a police investigation into his computers, phones and USB drives, Wills was found to hold more than 1,800 of abusive pictures and videos, involving children as young as fouryears-old, and a number of videos of children he had recorded himself.

He had been searching for and downloading child abuse images for years, with investigators finding evidence dating back to 2004.

Wills had also been using chat rooms to arrange meetings with users he believed to be children, asking them to wear school uniforms and letting them know what car he would be in.

It shows a worrying pattern that he had interest extending beyond just downloading pictures,” said prosecutor

Brian Williams. David Burrell, defending, branded Wills’ offences as ‘deplorable’, but argued that any sentence should be curbed as he had not distributed the images and was not charged with the grooming any children.

“Mr Wills understands these are very serious offences, in particular because of the amount of time this went on for,” said Mr Burrell. “He has had no previous convictions and has been of positive, good character. He is 65 now and retired but did lead a hard-working, industrious life. He is a hard-working man, a charitable man, a family man, and he is a genuinely remorseful man.”

Family members, including his two adult sons, added statements in support of Wills, of Woodyear Road, Wirral.

But judge Recorder Jeremy Lasker, said: “You are considered to pose significant risk of sexual harm to children.

“You were leading a double life here, a secret life. Your wife, adult children, your late partner simply had no idea you were seeking out child pornography for your own sexual gratification.”

Wills was jailed for 10 months, as well as being handed a sexual harm prevention order which gives police powers to monitor his activity online.