THIRTY paedophiles who hoarded thousands of pictures of the abuse of children as young as two have walked free from courts across the UK in the last two weeks alone.
The offenders, all found with the most serious Category A images, were spared prison — with one of the sickos smirking as he tasted continued liberty, our investigation reveals.
One culprit with 12,000 pictures got a suspended sentence because of his “good character” while another avoided jail after pleading guilty to viewing only images of children in “discernible pain” because it was “something to watch”.
Our probe into Britain’s justice system, and its treatment of paedophiles, comes amid continuing anger at a judge’s decision to spare the BBC’s Huw Edwards prison despite his having the worst-rated material.
We are calling for all offenders caught with such Category A images to serve time behind bars as part of our Keep Our Kids Safe campaign.
The offence of “making” an indecent image or video can encompass opening an email attachment, downloading and storing images.
It also includes accessing a website where an indecent image “pops up” on screen, receiving an image through social media or live- streaming images of children.
Sentencing guidelines for possessing them allow for jail terms ranging from 26 weeks to three years.
Judges can impose a suspended sentence if there is strong personal mitigation, a realistic chance of rehabilitation, or a factor which would mean others would be harmed by them going to prison.
An overhaul of the punishments is understood to be “in scope” for a sentencing review due to be announced soon by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
Child abuse campaigner Shy Keenan told The Sun that handing paedophiles suspended sentences and community orders made it appear as if victims did not matter.
Shy, who was raped and abused by her stepfather from age four, said: “We victims have been subject to decriminalisation of one the most life and soul-destroying crimes.
“Each new download is a re-victimisation . . . over and over again.
“Our recovery and survival starts with how society deals with the crime in the first place and at the moment the message is clear: we don’t matter. Ignoring this ‘gateway crime’ just kicks these dangerous sex offenders into the long grass for the next children to manage.”
Among those freed in the last two weeks were Tony Swale, 67, who stockpiled pictures and videos of kids as young as four.
He grinned as he left court after telling cops: “I’m the victim.” District Judge Adrian Lower gave him an 18-month community order and a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Only moments earlier on October 2, he had jailed a shoplifter for 22 weeks at York magistrates’ court.
Timothy Johnson, 45, who left court hiding his face, had more than 3,500 images of children as young as two. Of those, 565 were Category A and 401 Category B.
Sentencing him at Bournemouth crown court, Judge Robert Pawson said some were of “the most foul sexual abuse”. Jailing him for 12 months, suspended for two years, he said: “You are directly contributing to the rape of children by downloading those images because if people like you didn’t download them then other people wouldn’t take them and put them on the internet.”
Philip Nwaobasi, 53, from Romford, East London, who was found with 2,118 Category A images, the most in our probe, got ten months, suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work. He was spared prison after Snaresbrook crown court was told on October 8 that he had come to the “realisation that these are real children”.
Meanwhile, bus driver Charlie Young, 21, from Didcot, Oxfordshire, was allowed to go free after being found with 48 Category A images, one showing the rape of a girl aged between five and seven.
Sentencing him at Oxford crown court on October 4, Recorder Jaron Crooknorth told him: “Your offending fuels offending that causes misery to children.”
These offenders are some of the lowest of the low and it is essential our justice system punishes these dreadful and repulsive criminals to the fullest extent.
ory MP Saqib Bhatti
David Carpenter, 65, got 16 months’ jail, suspended for 18 months, for possessing 277 Category A images, 204 Category B and 257 Category C.
Sentencing him at Luton crown court on October 9, Judge Allison Hunter KC said: “These are extremely serious and disgusting offences to find a man of your advanced age to plead guilty to.”
During our probe, we saw some offenders jailed for accessing indecent images — but only if they faced other charges, such as breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order or making contact with children online.
Child abuse campaigner Shy Keenan told The Sun that handing paedophiles suspended sentences and community orders made it appear as if victims do not matter.
Shy, who was raped and abused by her stepfather from the age of four, is a vocal advocate against unduly lenient sentences.
She said: “We victims of these crimes have been subject to a clear decriminalisation of one the most life and soul-destroying crimes.
“It is one of those crimes that just keeps on giving, as each new download is a re-victimisation over and over again.
“We should mean more than a lost inconvenient judicial footnote to so-called ‘child protection’.
“Our recovery and survival starts with how society deals with the crime in the first place and at the moment, the message is clear: we don’t matter.
“Ignoring this ‘gateway crime’ just kicks this dangerous sex offender into the long grass for the next children to manage.”
Backing The Sun’s campaign to increase sentences, Tory MP Saqib Bhatti said: “These offenders are some of the lowest of the low and it is essential our justice system punishes these dreadful and repulsive criminals to the fullest extent.”
Speaking on The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots show, former PM Boris Johnson called for tougher sentences for sex offenders.
He stressed: “What they’re doing is feeding a trade that dehumanises and gravely, gravely injures the most vulnerable people.”
The Ministry of Justice said: “Sentences are decided by independent judges after considering the facts of the case. They can impose a range of tough requirements on offenders given suspended sentences and sex offenders will also be put on the register to keep the public safe.”
THESE are the remainder of the paedophiles who avoided jail despite being caught with sick images in all categories, including the most serious:
Robert Senior, 59, from Barnsley, had 65 Category A images. He received a two-year community order and sexual harm prevention order.
Dean Rawlings, 56, from Cullompton, Devon, had six Category A. He got a suspended three-month sentence, and sexual harm prevention order.
Charlie Young, 21, from Didcot, Oxon, had 48 Category A. Six months’ jail suspended for two years, with a sexual harm prevention order.
Vasil Slavilov, 18, from Forest Gate, East London, had 183 Category A images. He got a two-year community order.
Alex Baker, 29, from Walsall, had 193 images including Category A, and got a two-year community order, and a sexual harm prevention order.
Paul Birleson, 48, from Chester Le Street, Co Durham, had one Category A image. He got 24 months’ jail suspended for two years.
Nicholas Brown, 30, from Bedford, had two in Category A. He got a three-year community order.
Robert Allen, 46, from Dartmouth, Devon, had four Category A pics and got a 12-month community order and 180 hours of unpaid work.
Stephen Crawford, 62, from Windermere, Cumbria, had 503 Category A images. He was handed an eight-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and 200 hours of unpaid work.
Gary Redmond, 67, from Shrewsbury, Shrops, had three Category A. He got 20 weeks in prison, suspended for two years.
Kenneth Moncrieff, 44, from Windermere, Cumbria, had one Category A. He go a ten-month sentence, suspended for two years.
Andrej Dano, 70, from Manchester, had one category A image and got a two-year community order.
Christopher Eke, 26, from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, had 69 Category A videos. He was sentenced to six months in jail, suspended for 12 months.
Jonathan Shaw, 42, from Holmfirth, West Yorks, had 31 Category A. He got a community order for 18 months and must do 100 hours of unpaid work.
John Evans, 70, from Cardiff, had 32 in Category A and contacted someone he thought was a 12-year-old girl but was actually an undercover cop. He was handed eight months in prison, suspended for two years.
