A father from Wavertree, Liverpool, has been sentenced to a suspended prison sentence for possessing and distributing thousands of indecent images of children.

Martin Mannion, 61, amassed a collection of images between November 2022 and March 2023, storing them on laptops and hard-drives at his family home.

Police discovered the images while investigating individuals using file-sharing software to distribute child sexual abuse material. An IP address linked to Mannion's Virgin Media account was traced to a folder containing 4,461 indecent images of children.

Officers searched Mannion's home on June 29, 2023, while his 11-year-old son was at school. They seized two laptops and two external hard-drives, which contained thousands of images and videos of child pornography.

The images were categorized into three levels of severity, with the most serious category (A) containing 28 images and 30 videos. Mannion pleaded guilty to possessing 6,058 indecent images and three counts of making indecent images.

During his sentencing, Judge Mark Ainsworth emphasized that these crimes have serious victims. He stated, "It needs to be emphasized this is not a victimless crime. Far from it. Behind each and every photograph is a child being sexually abused."

Mannion was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to complete rehabilitation courses, perform unpaid work, and comply with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.