June 2020

Child sexual abuse images fiend from Oldham – caught with 120,000 indecent images 

A judge has told an Oldham man – caught with nearly 120,000 indecent images of children – that he needs help.

Police raided the home of Matthew Jones, 31, in October 2019, and discovered a stash on child sexual abuse images on his computer system, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court was told.

Some of the children depicted in Jones’ collection were barely one-year-old, the court heard.

The judge imposed a 12-month suspended sentence on the defendant and ordered him to undertake a specially-adapted sex offenders’ treatment programme for people with his condition.

Jones, who pleaded guilty to three offences of making indecent images, and one charge each of possessing prohibited images, possessing extreme pornography, was also told he must sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.

His internet activity will also be restricted under the terms of a sexual harm prevention order and he must complete 30 rehabilitation activity days with the probation service.

Passing sentence, Judge Nield said: “I realise the difficulties that you would experience in a custodial setting, and they cannot be over-estimated, even in usual circumstances.

“But this sentence remains suspended over you. It is therefore imperative that you keep to the terms upon which the sentence has been suspended.”

Andrew Mackintosh, prosecuting, said when police examined his computer, they found 16,202 of the most serious kind of indecent images, rated at Category A.

Another 14,994 were rated at Category B and a further 85,000 or so at Category C. Further checks unearthed 2,122 prohibited images and 389 images of extreme pornography.

Interviewed initially about the finds, he admitted that the password-protected computer in question was his but he then refused to answer any more questions.