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13
Feb
Harrogate man admits possessing 18,000 prohibited images of children
A Harrogate man has admitted making hundreds of indecent images of children and possessing more than 18,000 prohibited images of children.
Bradley Jones, of Hurstleigh Terrace, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court on Thursday (February 12) where he spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address.
Jones, 25, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and a fourth charge of possessing 18,368 prohibited images of children.
The charges include making 41 category B photographs, 629 category C images and 70 category A images — which is the most serious kind.
Alison Whiteley, prosecuting, told the court that police arrested Jones at his home address on February 7, 2020, after responding to information that the force had received.
Officers seized a number of devices and found a “large volume” of indecent images following analysis, the court heard.
Ms Whiteley said:
One of the category B images is of a 12-month old, while the category A images range from three to four-years-old.
Ms Whiteley told the court that the “sheer volume” of images had led to a delay in getting the case to court.
She said:
The sheer volume of images is down to the delay. The images required analysing. It took police a long time to get through them.
Jones had no previous convictions and was of “good character”, Ms Whiteley added.
Andrew Tinning, defending, told the court that he had nothing to add at this stage in proceedings.
District Judge Mark Daley warned Jones that he faced “serious charges” where “real children have been harmed”.
The case was adjourned for a sentencing hearing at Harrogate Magistrates Court on April 24.g
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