Convicted paedophile jailed after 900 indecent images found.

A convicted paedophile who hoarded over 900 indecent images of children has been jailed for just over two years.

David Henderson, 30, of Exmouth Place, Bolton, Bradford, was found with 931 images on a mobile phone he had been hiding from the police. Over 400 of the images, both still and moving, were classified as Category A, the most serious level.

Henderson previously pleaded guilty to six offences of possessing indecent images of a child, as well as violating a Sexual Offences Protection Order imposed in 2015 for similar offences.

Prosecutor Heather Gilmore explained that police initially received intelligence linking Henderson's IP address to a Twitter account that had shared a Category B indecent image. Further intelligence connected him to a Snapchat account where more indecent images were shared.

However, a search of his home in September 2020 yielded no results. A second search nearly a year later discovered a few images on a device, but it wasn't until a further search in May 2022 that a hidden mobile phone was found.

A forensic examination revealed 403 Category A images, 424 Category B images, and 104 Category C images. Ms Gilmore stated that the number of images was significant and that they depicted girls between the ages of four and 13. Searches on the phone also indicated a pattern of seeking images related to familial sex abuse.

Henderson's barrister, Camille Morland, argued that Henderson was an intelligent and capable man, but that his situation deteriorated during the lockdown when he was furloughed. She stated that he relapsed and committed these offences.

Judge Colin Burn remarked that the use of a hidden phone was a clear disregard for the order issued in 2015, describing it as both deliberate and deceitful. He added that Henderson's actions undoubtedly caused harm, sentencing him to 26 months imprisonment.

Henderson must also comply with notification requirements for the next ten years. A new Sexual Harm Prevention Order was also imposed.

The court also heard that Henderson was convicted in October 2015 of four counts of distributing indecent images and six of making indecent images, totaling over 12,000 images. He was also convicted of possessing 2,500 prohibited images and possessing six extreme pornographic images. He was sentenced to a three-year community order, an indefinite sexual offences prevention order, and required to register as a sex offender for five years.