A MAN who attempted to hide hundreds of images of children in a secret folder on his mobile phone has been jailed.

Man Jailed for Hiding Child Abuse Images

A 32-year-old man has been jailed for over two years after attempting to conceal hundreds of images depicting child sexual abuse on his mobile phone.

Christopher Roberts, who was subject to a sexual harm prevention order due to previous offenses, created a password-protected folder on his phone to hide the images from authorities.

When police visited Roberts' home in March 2023 for a routine check, they requested access to his phone. Roberts claimed he had forgotten the password to the hidden folder.

Upon unlocking the folder, officers discovered over 500 images of child sexual abuse, with some victims believed to be as young as six years old.

Roberts was charged with three counts of making indecent images of children and sentenced to two years and eight months in prison at Southampton Crown Court on Friday.

During his sentencing, Judge Robert Pawson expressed strong criticism of Roberts' attitude and views, particularly his claim that the victims were not real victims and often smiled, suggesting a lack of empathy.

Roberts is currently serving a sentence at HMP Dartmoor for an earlier breach of his sexual harm prevention order.