Paedophile jailed for possessing indecent images of children.

Arlesey Paedophile Jailed for Possession and Distribution of Child Abuse Images

Terence Thatcher, 56, of Bury Mead, Arlesey, has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after being found guilty of possessing and distributing indecent images of children. The registered sex offender was arrested in February following a police warrant at his home, where officers discovered over 1,100 indecent images of children on his mobile phone, along with prohibited and extremely pornographic images.

Further investigation revealed that Thatcher had shared these images with other users online, violating his sexual harm prevention order from a previous conviction. He had also breached the order by failing to notify his offender manager of a new phone and by using social media accounts without permission.

"Viewing, possessing and distributing indecent images of children is by no means a victimless crime," stated Investigation Officer Emma Shipton from Bedfordshire Police's Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team. "It causes and propagates real harm to the children concerned, as they are abused and exploited in such a vile and appalling way, and people like Thatcher share this disgusting abuse online for other individuals to view."

In addition to his prison sentence, Thatcher was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.