Former Manchester DJ Avoids Jail for Child Indecent Images

Scot Reedy, 36, a former well-known Manchester DJ, has avoided jail after being found in possession of indecent images of children, a violation of a court order.

Reedy had previously been convicted of similar offenses in February 2021, receiving a suspended prison sentence and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). The SHPO mandated him to inform his offender manager of any devices capable of internet access.

During an unannounced visit by Greater Manchester Police, officers discovered twelve devices in Reedy's possession, one of which contained computer-generated indecent images of young children.

Reedy appeared at Manchester Crown Court on August 14th and admitted to breaching the order. He was sentenced to a community order.

The court heard that Reedy had been previously convicted of possessing indecent images of children and was sentenced in February 2021 to a 16-month suspended prison term. He was also ordered to complete the Horizon programme, a program designed for male sex offenders at risk of re-offending.

Prosecutor Brendan O'Leary stated that officers found prohibited images on Reedy's phone during a routine assessment visit on March 23rd, 2022. Reedy claimed he did not intentionally download the images.

Upon examination, the phone revealed 330 inaccessible prohibited images of children, along with social media searches for indecent images conducted in December 2021, including terms like "paedo bait", "minor NSFW", "incest", and "IRL shota".

The court heard that "shota" is a term referring to sexual activity between an adult and a child.

Reedy was subsequently arrested, and 12 additional devices capable of internet access were recovered. A "childlike" sex doll was also found in his possession, though no charges were filed for that item.

Reedy has a history of criminal activity, with three previous convictions for 16 offenses, including making indecent images of children.

In mitigation, Joshua Bowker, representing Reedy, argued that the recovered images were 3D generated and did not depict real children. He acknowledged Reedy's "lax attitude" towards the court order and a degree of "forgetfulness" in his compliance.

Bowker also stated that Reedy has an autism diagnosis and is willing to work with probation services.

Judge Elizabeth Nicholls, in sentencing, acknowledged Reedy's time served in custody while awaiting sentencing and deemed a community order to be the most effective way to protect the public.

Reedy was sentenced to an 18-month community order, 25 days of rehabilitation activity requirements, and 130 hours of unpaid work. He pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited image of a child, failure to notify under the Sex Offences Act, and breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Reedy remains under the terms of the Sex Offenders Register and Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.