Sex Offender Sentenced for Sharing Indecent Images

A sex offender, David Roberts, has been sentenced to 32 months in prison for sharing indecent images of children with other paedophiles using PlayStation devices. The court heard that Roberts, 50, from Peterlee, had breached his sex offender registration requirements by using aliases on the PlayStation and failing to register a bank card in his late mother's name.

Police executed a search warrant at Roberts' home in October after receiving information that he may have been involved in sexual communication with a child. While the alleged communication charges are not being pursued, officers discovered numerous PlayStation consoles, bank cards, and 281 indecent images of children, including 70 in the most serious category, on the devices.

Analysis of the PlayStations revealed that Roberts had used the alias "Sandy Sorebottom" to communicate with other users in a sexually explicit manner, discussing children and sharing indecent images. Some of the indecent and prohibited images were sent to that profile.

Roberts admitted to three charges of possessing indecent images of children, one of possessing prohibited images of children, two counts of failing to comply with registration requirements as a sex offender, and one of distribution of an indecent photo of a child.

The court heard that Roberts has a history of sexual offenses, dating back to 2005 when he was sentenced to 84 months in prison for sexual activity with a child and taking indecent photographs of a child. He was also made subject to indefinite notification requirements as a sex offender.

In mitigation, Roberts' lawyer said that his past conviction aggravated the sentence he would receive and that he was dealing with the emotional distress of caring for his mother, who had dementia and passed away recently.

Judge Jo Kidd said she has seen descriptions of the images shared by the defendant, including the rape of children as young as three, while the use of the PlayStation platform to communicate with like-minded individuals, "significantly aggravated" his position.

She said despite his past conviction, the defendant appeared to have maintained his sexual interest in children. Imposing a 32-month prison sentence, she said the existing indefinite requirement to register as a sex offender would remain in place. She also adjourned for inquiries as to the further prohibitions she could put in place under the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.