A police officer has stated that the jail sentence given to a Lowestoft man for making and distributing indecent images of children demonstrates the police's commitment to prosecuting repeat offenders.

Charles Moore, 57, of Oulton Road North in Lowestoft, was sentenced to 27 months in prison at Ipswich Crown Court. He pleaded guilty to three charges: making indecent images of children, possessing prohibited images, and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Moore, a registered sex offender, had previously been convicted in 2018 of similar offenses involving making and distributing indecent images of children, possessing prohibited images, and possessing extreme pornography. He received a custodial sentence and was subsequently managed by the Public Protection Unit upon his release.

In November 2021, police conducted a routine visit to Moore's home address. During the visit, officers scanned his devices for any content related to child abuse material. The scan yielded positive results on his desktop computer, indicating the presence of child abuse material.

Moore's electronic devices were seized for further analysis, which revealed a staggering number of images and videos depicting child abuse. The analysis revealed 5,260 Category A images, 583 unique Category A videos, 6,786 Category B images, 693 Category B videos, 36,980 Category C images, 236 Category C videos, and 20 prohibited images of children.

Moore was subsequently charged in June 2022 in relation to these offenses. On February 8, 2023, he was sentenced at court. In addition to the prison sentence, he was also issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years. An order was also enforced for the destruction of his electronic devices.

PC Nicola Flack of the force's Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team stated, "This conviction and sentence demonstrates that after an initial sentence for similar offenses is served, we will not hesitate to prosecute re-offending and persistent online criminality. Internet crimes such as these are far from victimless, and every image depicts the very real abuse a young child has suffered. The prohibitions imposed through this new Sexual Harm Prevention Order allow the police to monitor his online behavior for the next 10 years, reducing the risk to the public."

Category Definitions:

• Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity, sexual activity with an animal, or sadism.
• Category B: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity.
• Category C: Indecent images not falling within categories A or B.