A former retail supervisor has been spared jail after he admitted downloading hundreds of indecent images of children and over 18,000 prohibited images of minors.

Bradley Jones, 26, from Harrogate, downloaded sickening images of children as young as 12 months’ old and amassed a “vast” collection of prohibited or cartoon-type images of youngsters over a two-year period between 2018 and February 2020 when he was in his late teens.

Jones, now of Hurstleigh Terrace, appeared for sentence at York Crown Court today (May 20) after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of making prohibited images.

Prosecutor Kelly Clarke said that police went to Jones’s then address in February 2020 and arrested him on suspicion of making indecent images of children.

They seized various electronic devices and a subsequent forensic examination revealed that Jones had downloaded 740 indecent images including 70 rated Category A – the worst kind of such material involving the sexual abuse of children.

Also among the depraved collection, which included both illicit photos and videos, were over 620 Category C images and 41 Category B files.

The age range of the numerous children depicted in the graphic images was from “birth” age to 12 years’ old.

Ms Clarke said that the police forensic unit also discovered 18,368 prohibited or cartoon images of a sexual nature. 

The case only reached court this year, six years after the offending, due to the sheer volume of data which had to be trawled by forensic officers.

Jones’s solicitor Neil Cutte said his client had never offended before or since these offences and had been working as a retail supervisor at the time.

He said that Jones had maintained his employment right up to the day he pleaded guilty to the offences at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court in February, at which point he handed in his notice.

He had moved home since the offences came to light and had been engaging with a ‘Safer Lives’ programme run by an organisation which sought to prevent reoffending.

Sheer number of images

Judge Simon Hickey said he was presented with a “difficult sentencing exercise” because the “vast” number of prohibited images of children and the presence of Category A images had to be weighed against the six-year delay in the case reaching court.

He said the sheer number of indecent images “shows that there must have been a vast number of children suffering degradation and humiliation be being photographed in this way”.

Mr Hickey added:

He noted, however, that Jones was 18 or 19 years of age at the time and was now in his mid-20s, and had not reoffended.

He also noted that Jones had made “full and frank admissions” to police following his arrest, taken steps to address his offending “as it was then” and had always held down a job.

He said for those reasons he was “just” able to suspend the inevitable prison sentence.

Jones was given a 14-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months. He was also made subject to a 10-year notification order under which he must notify police of any change in his circumstances.

He was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, complete 30 rehabilitation-activity days and pay £150 costs.