Possessed 35,000 images of child sex abuse.

Isle of Wight Man Spared Jail Despite Possession of Thousands of Child Abuse Images

A ROOKLEY man found in possession of nearly 35,000 child abuse images was spared jail at the Isle of Wight Crown Court. David Bradshaw, 63, of Dolcroft Road, appeared on Friday facing three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possessing cannabis.

Bradshaw had previously admitted to possessing the images at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court on February 14. The discovery was made when Bradshaw took his laptop to a computer repair shop. Staff found a hidden folder containing the images.

Prosecutor Ann Smout, speaking at an earlier hearing, detailed the discovery: "When they opened the folder, they saw thousands of thumbnail images they suspected showed children being abused. They immediately called the police and handed the laptop over." The police found a total of 34,638 images and videos depicting child abuse, ranging from category A (the most serious) to category C.

Bradshaw's defense, Barry Arnett, stated that "After these charges were leaked to the public, Mr Bradshaw was repeatedly threatened and forced to move from a previous address." He added, "There will be quite severe implications for Mr Bradshaw. He is a man who has already lost quite a lot."

Judge Roger Hetherington sentenced Bradshaw to 12 months in prison, suspended for 24 months. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for ten years and under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years. Bradshaw must complete 25 rehabilitation days and pay court costs of £425 and a victim surcharge of £90.

An NSPCC spokesperson reacted to the case, stating: "The sheer extent of Bradshaw's collection is truly appalling. Many of the images in it will be crime scenes showing abused children who will need a vast amount of support to recover from their ordeal. This case highlights the urgent need to address the online trade in such images. Law enforcement cannot solve this problem alone. Big tech must also be made to use their expertise and resources to quickly remove this terrible content from their platforms and identify who put it there in the first place."