Gateshead Man Avoids Prison for Child Abuse Images

Peter Forbes, 28, of Gateshead, has been spared prison despite possessing a sickening collection of indecent images, including those depicting a newborn baby being abused.

Police seized Forbes' computer devices in January 2023, discovering a total of 133 indecent images, categorized as follows:

• Category A (most serious): 34 images
• Category B: 21 images
• Category C: 74 images

Additionally, officers found 24 prohibited images and four extreme pornography images. The children depicted in the indecent images ranged in age from a newborn to 16 years old. One image specifically showed a one-week-old baby being abused, with "discernible pain and distress" evident.

Evidence also revealed that Forbes engaged in online conversations about "younger" children and conducted searches for terms related to paedophilic images. Forbes admitted to three counts of making indecent images, possessing prohibited images of children, and possessing extreme pornography.

Despite the severity of the offenses, Forbes received a 12-month suspended sentence for 18 months with 120 hours of unpaid work. Brian Hegarty, Forbes' defense attorney, stated that Forbes had an addiction to pornography since the age of ten, leading him to access and download these images from the dark web.

Hegarty also mentioned that Forbes sought counselling after his arrest. While the public is understandably outraged by the nature of these images, Forbes' sentence reflects the court's consideration of his remorse and efforts towards rehabilitation.