Shane Silby, a 51-year-old man from Bransholme, Hull, was sentenced to a suspended prison term after admitting to downloading indecent images of children.

Hull Crown Court heard that police discovered Silby in possession of a laptop containing Category A, B, and C indecent images of children as young as three years old. The investigation began when information regarding the download of these images from a specific IP address and postal address was received by authorities.

During his arrest on March 30, 2023, Silby searched online for "What do HM Prison cells look like?" suggesting awareness of potential legal consequences. He made no comment during police questioning but pleaded guilty to the offences at the first opportunity.

Judge Tahir Khan KC acknowledged Silby's early guilty plea and sentenced him to a 16-month suspended prison sentence, along with 25 days of rehabilitation. Additionally, Silby was issued a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender for the same period.

Judge Khan warned Silby that failure to comply with probation service requirements could result in him serving the full 16-month prison sentence.