Prolific sex offender had more than 800 indecent images.

A prolific sex offender has been jailed for breaching his sexual harm prevention order and possessing over 800 indecent images of children.

Joshua Newton, 25, was initially given a five-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) in 2017 along with a community order. He was later sentenced to 13 months in prison and received a 15-year SHPO in February 2022 for breaching that order.

On April 22, 2023, after his release, Newton's offender manager, DC Harrison, received information that Newton had uploaded indecent images via Snapchat. A visit to Newton's address resulted in the defendant handing over a mobile phone. Examination revealed a Snapchat page that had not been registered with the police.

Further analysis of the phone uncovered a TikTok account, also unregistered. Newton had not been granted permission to access either app due to their data deletion capabilities. These accounts were linked to an unregistered email address, which was also connected to two Google accounts and a Mega cloud storage account.

Within the Mega account, authorities discovered a total of 846 indecent images of children - 465 categorized as A, 146 as B, and 238 as C, along with three extreme pornographic images. The Mega app, containing the images, had been installed on the phone on January 23, 2023.

Sarah Gruffydd, prosecuting, stated that while a "large number" of children were depicted in the images, there was no evidence of Newton communicating with actual children.

Anthony Horsfall, defending Newton, acknowledged his client's awareness of the severity of his actions. He cited Newton's "lifestyle of isolation," exacerbated by the pandemic, as a contributing factor to his "willingness to indulge in some of his interests."

Judge Robert Altham, during sentencing, expressed concern about Newton's persistent offending and lack of compliance with court orders. He highlighted the enduring sexual interest in children that posed a significant risk. The judge emphasized that each image represented the abuse of a real child and that Newton's actions encouraged the abuse of real children. Newton was urged to feel ashamed of his involvement in perpetuating this industry.

Newton, currently incarcerated at HMP Risley (last known address Albert Street, Burnley), pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching a SHPO, one count of failure to comply with notification requirements, three counts of making indecent images, and one count of possessing extreme pornographic images. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison.