Downloaded more than 6,000 child abuse images.

Carlisle Man Receives Suspended Sentence for Child Abuse Images

A Carlisle man, Richard Nobes (46), was sentenced to an eight-month jail term, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to downloading thousands of child abuse images. The images, categorized as Category A (the most serious), Category B, and Category C, featured children as young as six.

Nobes admitted to downloading 1,359 Category A images, 674 Category B images, and 4,291 Category C images between November 7, 2020, and May 6, 2021. He also admitted possessing prohibited images of children on June 17, 2021.

The prosecution accepted Nobes' plea to a fifth allegation of possessing extreme pornography. The police discovered the images during a search of Nobes' home on June 17, 2021, acting on intelligence received.

Judge Andrew Jefferies KC highlighted the severity of the offenses, citing the sheer volume of images and the distribution of some of them. However, the judge suspended the sentence due to Nobes' remorse, prospects for rehabilitation, and his role as the primary caregiver for his elderly father.

The suspended sentence includes 40 rehabilitation activity days designed to address Nobes' "interest in children." He will be on the Sex Offender Register for 10 years and subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period, governing his internet use.

Judge Jefferies stated that he would have imposed an immediate eight-month prison sentence, but Nobes' rehabilitation potential and the impact on his father's health factored into the decision.

Nobes, who has no previous convictions, is said to have been under unspecified "stresses" when he committed the offenses.