Computer repair worker faces jail over indecent images of children

The scales of justice
The scales of justice

A computer repair worker who downloaded pornographic photographs of children as young as two years old was today (Monday) warned he faces a jail sentence.

Peter Johnson, 55, of Willoughby Road in Alford, was arrested after police raided his home in May 2016 and found computer equipment containing the illicit images and films.

Jonathan Dunne, prosecuting, said: “A police warrant was executed at the defendant’s home address. Significant items were found in his bedroom.

“By his bed was a computer tower, and inserted into it was a USB stick. A computer hard drive was in a plastic box in a storage unit in the bedroom.”

A total of 420 indecent images of children were found on the computer equipment.

More than 17 hours of video footage was found, with one film lasting for six hours and 37 minutes.

Mr Dunne said: “The overwhelming majority of the still and moving images came from the USB stick.

“The defendant was interviewed and told the police that he was something of a computer expert. He had a business repairing broken computers.

“He was to say that if there was anything illegal on his computer or on the USB stick or the hard drive it must have got there through the innocent agency of using other people’s computer equipment.

“He said it was either down to customers, or down to TalkTalk being hacked.”

Johnson admitted three charges of making indecent photographs of children and a further charge of possession of a prohibited image of a child.

Judge Simon Hirst adjourned sentence for the preparation of a probation report, and Johnson was granted conditional bail to appear back before the Crown Court on December 20.

In granting bail Judge Hirst told Johnson: “You must understand that the overwhelmingly likely sentence is one of immediate custody.”