Collected vile pornography which showed children as young as nine being subjected to horrific abuse.

Michael Lai, 61, Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Abuse Images

Michael Lai, 61, of Castlemaine Avenue, Croydon, pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing indecent images of children at the Old Bailey on Friday, August 4th. The charges stem from a raid by National Crime Agency officers on his home in November 2019, where Lai confessed to downloading indecent images.

During the raid, officers discovered a computer tower and three hard drives that Lai claimed belonged to his brother, William. An inspection of the devices revealed 35,101 indecent images of children dating back to January 2015, all attributed to Michael Lai.

The court heard that Lai's actions had a devastating impact on the victims in the images, who are real children forced to live with the knowledge that these images exist.

While sentencing Lai, Judge Medland acknowledged the three-year delay in charging Lai and his brother, emphasizing that the court takes such offenses seriously. He stated, "It is disgusting and offensive and it must stop."

As a result of his plea, Lai was sentenced to ten years on the sex offenders register, a sexual harm prevention order, and a £2,500 fine.