Sunderland Pensioner Sentenced for Child Abuse Images

A Sunderland pensioner, Terence Roberts, has been sentenced for possessing over 1,000 images of child abuse. The content, which included still pictures and videos, was discovered on Roberts' devices while he was at work.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that two mobile phones were seized from the 71-year-old's address in July 2020. Police also found a cloud storage account containing the illegal images.

Prosecutor Joe Culley stated that the collection included 291 category A images (96 of which were moving images), 214 category B images (24 video), and 560 category C images. The material depicted children aged between one and 15 years old.

Roberts, of Hewitt Avenue, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. He also admitted possessing a prohibited image of a child and possessing an extreme pornographic image.

During his interview on July 8, 2020, Roberts confessed to possessing the images and admitted to sharing and distributing them on social media, although he was not charged with that offense.

The court heard that the offending began in April 2017, before Roberts was caught over three years later when officers searched his home.

Vic Laffey, defending Roberts, who has since lost his job and long-term partner as a result of his actions, told the court that Roberts was fully cooperative with the police and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

Judge Stephen Earl sentenced Roberts to 16 months behind bars, suspended for two years, along with rehabilitation requirements and a four-month curfew. Roberts must also abide by a sexual harm prevention order and sign the sex offender's register, both lasting ten years.