Possessing and distributing images of child sexual abuse and an extreme image involving a person and a dog.

Plymouth Dad Sentenced for Child Abuse Images

A Plymouth dad, Leigh Bell, 35, was sentenced to a community order after pleading guilty to downloading over 100 images of child abuse, including some depicting children the same age as his own daughter. Bell was also found to have an extreme pornographic image involving an adult and a dog.

The court heard that Bell had downloaded over 100 images of child abuse, including 43 in the most serious category showing children being abused. He had also attempted to communicate with a 13-year-old girl for an explicit video, though he claimed it may have been someone posing as a teenager.

Bell confessed to his crimes in front of his mother and stepfather when police executed a warrant at his home. He admitted to viewing more than 1,000 images, some of them involving even younger children. He also admitted to sending and receiving these images.

Judge William Mousley said that Bell showed remorse and had already spoken to counsellors on the phone. The judge considered Bell a "realistic prospect of rehabilitation" and therefore handed him a community order rather than a prison sentence, stating that his stepmother would suffer from a lack of care if Bell was in jail.

Bell was given a three-year community order with a sex offender treatment program and probation's Rehabilitation Activity Requirement supervision course. He must also be on the Sex Offender Register for five years and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for a decade, allowing police to monitor his internet usage.