Latest Offenders

Description

A second-year PhD student studying astrophysics at the University of Hull walked free from court despite having more than 1,800 indecent images and videos of children and discussing abusing children on online chat rooms.

Hull Crown Court heard that Alexander Hamilton, 35, had been caught out when police identified him uploading an indecent image on to one of those chat rooms from his parents' house in Essex.

The court heard Hamilton initially denied having any knowledge of it when police visited him in Hull in March 2018, but admitted responsibility when they said they would have to carry out a warrant at his parents' address too.

A number of devices were eventually recovered from both his and his parents' addresses, the court heard, showing Hamilton had been in possession of 1,817 indecent images, including 62 videos, over an eight-year period.

Those included 554 'Category A' images, the worst category, defined as "involving penetrative sexual activity" or "sexual activity with an animal or sadism" in the Crown Prosecution Service's sexual offences guidelines.

Police also recovered an online discussion with another individual about abusing a five-year-old and seven or eight-year-old children.

Hamilton never committed any physical abuse himself, the court heard.

Prosecuting, Richard Woolfall told the court Hamilton said he had been "struggling for a number of years" and would regularly delete all the images before being lured back on to the chat rooms by his "urges".

"He was more interested in the discussions about abuse of children rather than the images," Mr Woolfall said.

"He said he preferred category B and C images, those of Category A showing distress sickened him, and at that point he would stop and delete everything."

He said Hamilton admitted he would masturbate when viewing the images and accepted that he needed help.

"He accepted that he had urges, but he never acted on those urges," Mr Woolfall said.

"He did not sexually abuse any children himself but did discuss abuse in the chat rooms.

"Such exchanges were fantasy, but once it moved to a degree of torture or a pair of very young children he would leave."

But it was those urges, Mr Woolfall said, that eventually led to his downfall.

"He had uploaded images and he knew he might have been caught, but his mindset was such that he did not think rationally," he said.

"It was a compulsion he had."

Mitigating for Hamilton, Timothy Clark said: "There has been an unusual level of honesty in accepting that he has a problem.

"Since the police came into his life in March 2018, he has had to have conversations with family members and those involved in his education on matters that must have been really difficult for his family to hear.

"He committed no contact offences and has been deemed very unlikely to commit such an offence.

"He has no previous convictions and has been extremely successful to a high level of education.

"And he has shown remorse, telling police he needed help and accepting responsibility."

He also said he had suffered with mental health problems which were "linked to his offending".

He added that Hamilton's studies were "on hold" and that it would be for the university to decide if he could continue with his course.

Sentencing Hamilton, Judge Bury said: "You are a highly intelligent man, you do not need me to tell you the seriousness of your position.

"You have, over a long period, accessed a large number of indecent images of children - over 550 of the most serious category.

"Each image of a child represents an instance of abuse of that child. That is why these offences are serious.

"Because people like yourself look at images like these, there is a market for them, which is why children continue to be abused."

But despite Hamilton's offending "clearly crossing the custody threshold", Judge Bury said he would suspend his sentence.

"You have no previous convictions and your attitude, one of self-loathing and a desire to right yourself, is such that you may be amenable to counselling and treatment to prevent you from reoffending," he said.

"But any repetition, particularly during the terms of suspension, and it's custody next time, do you understand that?"

"Yes," Hamilton said, looking up for the first time in the hearing.

For the possession of the indecent images, Judge Bury sentenced Hamilton to a total of eight months, suspended for eighteen months.

He will also be required to attend up to 20 rehabilitation activity days.

But Judge Bury did not include a curfew in the requirements after Mr Clark made a request on behalf of Hamilton's parents, who said his mental health is often at its worst when alone in the evenings.

Description

A remorseless child sex offender who groomed, molested and raped a vulnerable underage girl has started a 15-year prison sentence. The young woman bravely faced her childhood abuser across the courtroom, saying: "I thought people wouldn't believe me". Prosecutor Shaun Dodds said Anderton targeted a "particularly vulnerable child". He gave her alcohol and medication to make her sleepy, a court heard. At one point she fell asleep and when she awoke, he told her they had had sex and claimed she "enjoyed it". He made cruel threats to her to stop telling her anyone what he was doing. "It's such a relief to be believed," the victim said, before she saw Daniel Anderton go to prison still denying his crimes. 'I struggled to breathe' She stepped into the Teesside Crown Court witness box to read out powerful statements about how it affected her. She said the abuse had a "massive impact" affecting her relationships and leading to anxiety, depression, flashbacks, sleep problems, suicidal thoughts and self-harm. She said she had believed Anderton's threats as he "blackmailed" her, only to realise later: "Everything he said was a lie. "I remember feeling numb and every time he touched me I wanted it to end. "My heart raced and I struggled to breathe." It left her feeling isolated, lacking confidence and finding it difficult to socialise, make friends and trust others. "The night I told my family was beyond difficult," she said. "I couldn't keep it to myself anymore." She remembered the relief and surprise she felt when, expecting a bad reaction, she was simply hugged. She added: "I felt like it was all my fault because I let him do it to me. "But now when I look back I see that I was a vulnerable child. He took advantage." Still denied his crimes Anderton, of Henry Taylor Court, Ormesby, Middlesbrough, denied three charges of rape, one of sexual assault and five of sexual activity with a child. He claimed he only had consensual sex with her after she turned 16. He admitted he had sex with another underage girl in his evidence, saying he thought she was over the age of consent. The jury did not believe him and rejected his account, convicting him unanimously on all charges after a trial. Robert Mochrie, defending, said: "He continues to deny acting unlawfully at any stage. "I can't advance mitigation along the lines of remorse or anything of that nature. "He will receive a lengthy custodial sentence. The last couple of weeks have impacted upon him greatly. It's his first taste of custody. "He has spent the last two weeks or so trying to comprehend what will now come." He said Anderton was immature, naive and much-loved, and had worked throughout his adult life. Anderton, 26, was supported by his "incredibly distraught" mother and friends who wrote references for him. 'Selfish and devious' Anderton exploited and threatened Judge Stephen Ashurst said: "Unhappily this court has seen an unpleasant aspect of your behaviour which displays, I regret to say, some very selfish and devious aspects which have underlined your capacity to commit these very serious sexual offences." He said Anderton exploited and threatened the girl. "I'm afraid I've come to the conclusion that you really didn't care less for the impact of what you were doing," he told the defendant. "You remain in denial about all of these matters. "There appears in my judgment to be a complete lack of remorse or shame as to the damage that you've caused to others. "That has to be reflected in your sentence. "Unless your attitude to sexual matters improves in years to come, there remains a significant risk of you causing harm in the future. "It is you, Daniel Anderton, who is responsible for the position that you find yourself in." Anderton was jailed for 15 years, of which he will serve half before the Parole Board decide whether it is safe to release him. He was given an extra year's licence for an "offender of particular concern". He was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order banning him contacting the victim, going within 100m of her home, work or unsupervised contact with girls under 16, and governing his internet and devices use. He will be on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

Description

A SEX offender who hid his past from a single mum of two is spending Christmas in prison. Richard Robert Arthur, 34, from the Felling area of Gateshead, was convicted in July 2010 of meeting a child under the age of 16 years following sexual grooming. Last month the police learnt that Arthur was breaching the conditions of his sentence by repeatedly failing to declare his whereabouts and striking up a relationship with a woman who he had met online. The unsuspecting mum was unaware of his past until she was contacted by someone who knew of Arthurs sex offender status. The mum has now praised Northumbria Police for their swift action and support. She said: A man like him has no place in my, or anyones, family home. When I ended things, he wouldnt take no for an answer and then began harassing me. Luckily, I had the support and protection of Northumbria Police, who not only helped keep my family safe but supported me through the process and I know they are only a phone call away. After learning about his past, she finished the relationship and banned all contact but Arthur started a campaign of harassment against her. He was arrested for breaching his sex offender notification requirements and for domestic abuse harassment and was given a seven-month suspended sentence. But after continuing to contact the woman, he was rearrested and has been remanded in custody after pleading guilty to breaching a harassment order when he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on December 13. He is awaiting sentencing. Sgt Elliot Richardson, the investigating officer, is appealing for other women who may have come into contact with Arthur to come forward. He said: I would like to thank the victim in this case, who was clearly very concerned when she learned of Richard Arthurs past. She has shown a great deal of resilience throughout and I am pleased that we have been able to secure a conviction.

Description

A former police sergeant has been jailed for a second time after admitting sexual activity with a boy and possessing indecent images. Phillip Patterson, 34, was sentenced to six years in prison and will be a registered sex offender for life. Sussex Police say Patterson's latest offending came to light during a routine visit in 2018 as part of his terms. Judge David Rennie at Hove Crown Court said Patterson was "dangerous". Patterson, of Alexandra Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, already served a prison sentence for possessing more than 50,000 indecent images of children. He resigned from his position with the police force on the day of his arrest in 2010. 'Online grooming' Det Con Vicky Jones said: "During a routine visit in 2018 to Patterson as part of their role to monitor registered sex offenders in the community, colleagues found on his mobile phone references to indecent material about children. "The phone also contained evidence of his online grooming and sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy, a relationship which the boy confirmed when we traced him." He had already been given an eight-week suspended sentence in October 2016 for a previous breach of his sex offender notification requirements, and in September 2018 was given a 17-week custodial sentence for the further breach of the registration requirement which came to light in the police visit earlier that year. In sentencing Patterson, Judge David Rennie said: "Some people reach for the idiotic justification that 'they're only pictures'. "In all of these pictures, a child is having their innocence destroyed. Secondly, the 13-year-old, you groomed him and led him into your dark world of paedophilic abuse. I have no hesitation in concluding that you are dangerous."

Description

A PENSIONER who abused two young girls has been jailed for eight years.

Paedophile Gordon Renaut was blasted at Southampton Crown Court for committing what Judge Nicholas Rowland described as a gross breach of trust.

One of his victims, neither of whom can be named for legal reasons, said Renaut had destroyed her confidence and she had had suicidal thoughts.

Renaut (83), of Alexandra Road, Hythe, faced 12 charges relating to offending against the girls. When he appeared before the court he pleaded guilty to six of them.

Four of the charges he admitted were sexual assault on a child under 13, one related to causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and the other of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Prosecutor Gemma White said the offences were unearthed when the mother of the younger girl was teaching her about inappropriate contact with adults.

The youngster revealed she had been the victim of touching by Renaut which prompted the mother to confront him. The offending against the other victim subsequently came out.

This was an abuse of trust. There was a significant age disparity between the defendant and the victims, and significant vulnerability in respect of the two girls, Mrs White told the court.

Mrs White read out a victim impact statement by the elder victim, adding the younger girl was not old enough to complete one.

In it the victim described how she felt bad, had lost her self-confidence and found it difficult to trust anyone now. Sometimes she says she does not want to be here, Mrs White added.

The prosecutor said there had been considerable discussions between the Crown Prosecution Service and the defence before Renaut made the six admissions.

The other charges will lie on file.

Defence counsel Fern Russell said her client was a man of good character and handed in a clutch of references from friends to the court. In them Renaut was described as kind and helpful, she said.

She explained that Renaut, who sat with his head bowed in the dock during the proceedings, had been married for 20 years and had lived at the same address, his parents home, since 1948.

He retired at 60 having worked with companies in the shipping and construction industry helping to maintain the integrity of pipelines.

She said he had several health problems related to old age: kidney disease, high blood pressure, and he needed a cataract operation and heart scans.

These [offences] are serious aberrations in the life of a hard-working, responsible and it would appear caring and supportive man, said Ms Russell.

Sentencing, Judge Rowland said the offences were grave and serious.

He went on: This was a gross abuse of trust in relation to those girls and in the ways the offending has affected them, particularly the youngest.

In addition to the eight-year jail sentence, Renaut will have to sign the sex offenders register for life and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

During the hearing Renauts wife left the courtroom in distress. It is understood an ambulance was alerted by court staff but stood down.

Description

A SEX offender from Hampshire has had his jail term increased after he wrote a six-page guide for another prisoner on how to access child abuse images on the dark web.

John Blatchford was on a sex offenders' wing at Dartmoor Prison in Devon when he created the blueprint for a friend who was about to be released.

The handwritten document gave detailed instructions on how to access the worst child abuse images and movies without being detected by police.

It explained how to get on to the dark web and even included the names of illegal websites where images are exchanged.

The creation of the guide put him in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which included a ban on discussing child sexual abuse with anyone, either in person or online.

Blatchford was serving a six-year sentence for attempting to commit sexual offences against two girls aged seven and nine.

He sent child abuse images to a police officer who was posing as the father of the two fictional girls and pretending to be a fellow paedophile.

Blatchford, 41, of Blackwater Mews, Totton, admitted breaching the SHPO and was jailed for a further 22 months by Judge Paul Cook at Exeter Crown Court.

The judge told him: "This six-page document is a paedophile manual or blueprint of how to access images of children and there are references to the dark web and how to avoid detection.

"The length of time it would have taken to write demonstrates your determination to commit offences and to encourage others to do the same. That is shown by the technical detail in this deeply disturbing document."

Richard Crabb, prosecuting, said Blatchford created the guide in 2017 and gave it to a friend who was about to be released from Dartmoor.

It only came to light when the other man's offender manager became suspicious about his behaviour after his release and searched his home. Blatchford was identified as the author because his fingerprints were on the paper.

Mr Crabb said: "This was a flagrant and deliberate attempt to assist another in accessing child abuse material and avoid detection. It is aggravated by the fact it was committed while in prison."

William Parkhill, defending, said the guide dealt with accessing images rather than actually making contact with children and was written at a time when Blatchford was using illegally obtained drugs in Dartmoor.

He said his client had volunteered to take a sex offenders' treatment programme and had got off drugs.

Description

Twisted Darren Callaghan, 48, Southsea in Portsmouth, laced his date's drink before claiming she had taken the drugs of her own accord causing her to turn into "like something out of the Exorcist"

A rapist who spiked his victim's drink with ecstasy and blamed her injuries on a 'demon' has been handed a 16 year extended prison sentence.

Darren Callaghan, 48, claimed his victim had became "sex-crazed" after taking MDMA.

And the monster claimed it caused her to act "like something out of the Exorcist."

When she woke semi-naked in the morning, with 80 injuries all over her body, he tried to bizarrely convince her they were caused by supernatural activity.

But a court was told "this was nothing to do with ghosts" and Callaghan had laced her drink with drugs before raping her.

Callaghan was found guilty of rape, administering a noxious substance with intent to stupefy, and assault after a trial at Warwick Crown Court in October.

On Tuesday, he was a given a 16-year extended prison sentence and will only be freed if the Parole Board considers it safe to do so.

Callaghan will then be on licence for any period that remains of his sentence and for a further five years as well as having to register as a sex offender for life.

Sentencing, Judge Andrew Lockhart QC said the case was one of "the most appalling pieces of violence associated with rape that the court has witnessed in many years."

He told Callaghan: "Your actions have as good as ruined her life.

"You met her on a dating website. You brought drugs with you and were keen to give them to her.

"It was a powerful form of MDMA, and you well knew it would have a massive impact on someone not used to taking it.

"You gave her such drugs with a view that she would be incapacitated.

"This was to be sex for your own perverse and twisted desire, and sex where you could beat and abuse her.

"You said she had had a seizure and that her home was possessed. This was a cruel aspect of your behaviour.

"You showed yourself to be a dangerous and manipulative man."

Throughout the hearing Callaghan, of Southsea, Hants., interrupted the judge by loudly proclaiming his innocence.

Kim Preston, defending, said: "He feels passionately and indignantly about his version of events.

"He had a distortion in his mind about whether she was able to consent during the intercourse which took place.

"This defendant did not set out that night to go to her home and assault and rape her."

But Judge Lockhart QC added: "That may be your assessment. You must be mindful that my assessment is different, and the jury's finding is very different."

The court had heard Callaghan drove 140 miles from the south coast to meet the woman in Rugby, Warks., for a date after they met on the internet.

Prosecutor Adrian Fleming said "Darren Callaghan, while out with someone he had met over the internet, spiked her drink with MDMA, or ecstasy.

"He put it in her drink without her knowledge and, having done that, he assaulted her causing a number of injuries, and he raped her while she was in a state partly brought about by the administering of the drug.

"The combination of the spiked drink and the large amount of alcohol she had had to drink left her incapable of consenting to sex."

He explained that Callaghan had met the woman through a dating app.

During their online chats they talked about sex and he even sent her an intimate picture of himself.

Mr Fleming said: "They got on so well that an arrangement was made for him to travel up to Rugby for a face-to-face meeting."

She said he became "a little boisterous" and got physical when he arrived at her house, trying to pull her trousers down, until she told him to stop.

The pair then visited various pubs in Rugby, where she had five or more glasses of wine before they got a taxi back to her house.

When they got back she recalled Callaghan making them both a Jack Daniels and Coke, despite her feeling "pretty drunk".

Mr Fleming added "She thought her drink tasted a bit funny, and soon after she began to feel unwell and had some sort of seizure.

"She recalls falling down and her memories after that are vague. It's the Crown's case that he had put MDMA in her drink. She is very clear she did not take it knowingly.

"Although the defendant has admitted giving her a small amount of MDMA, he says it was at her request.

"The next thing she recalls is waking late the following morning, naked apart from her bra, and Callaghan lying next to her, naked.

"She was aware she had injuries all over her body, and she asked if he had punched her in the face.

"He said no, and that she was possessed and that there was a demon in her house.

"But it's the Crown's case that this ghost had nothing to do with what happened.

"She says Callaghan appeared to be trying to blame her injuries on the supernatural.

"The inescapable fact is that somehow she got very real injuries all over her body. This was nothing to do with ghosts.

"She has no recollection of having sex with him whatsoever. If she was incapable, any sex he had with her was rape."

After the case, Detective Inspector Cindy Stephenson, of Warwickshire Police, said: "This was a horrific crime that has had a profound impact on the victim.

"While I am sure she will never fully get over what Callaghan did, I hope she can take some comfort from this verdict and start to move on with her life."

Description

Jack Hall, whose real name is David Chadwick, befriended the girl's family who had no idea he was a convicted sex offender with a shocking history of offences dating back more than 30 years.

A paedophile has been jailed for breaching a sexual offences order after boasting he 'played a family like a game of chess.'

Jack Hall, 62 - whose real name is David Chadwick - befriended the mother of a six-year-old girl and tricked her for months.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard that the paedophile, from Gosport, Hampshire, bought the girl a book and sweets as he integrated himself with her family.

Later, Hall took the girl to a shop alone and played "inappropriately" with her as she rolled across his chest on the ground in a field before he disappeared into bushes for between five and 10 minutes.

The court heard that Hall quickly became a 'close family friend' but the unsuspecting mother had no idea he was a convicted sex offender with a shocking history of offences dating back more than 30 years.

Hall has been repeatedly jailed in Britain, the Netherlands, is suspected to have abused a child in New Zealand - and sparked an international manhunt while on the run from police.

He targeted his latest victims just months after being released from a seven-year jail term in January this year, despite a sexual harm prevention order banning him from unsupervised access to children.

Hall described the girl as a 'ray of sunshine' and even grinned in the dock when he discovered pupils on a school visit were due to observe his trial.

He even boasted of playing the family like a game of chess.

Hall said: "I likened it to a game of chess. I'm not particularly going out of my way to court a friendship with (the couple).

"I enjoyed their company. I'm very saddened by the way this has turned out."

Jurors took just two hours and 27 minutes to convict Hall of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, which he denied, and he was jailed for four years and six months.

Prosecutor Sally Mertens said his method sees him 'befriend children of families' he finds.

Jailing him, Judge William Ashworth said: "The natural boundaries of a child had been eroded, and her parents had been eroded, by you in a very short space of time.

"With your history and having seen you give evidence... I'm in no doubt that your intention was to break down the barriers between you and (the girl) and her family so that you could sexually abuse her."

Speaking after Hall was convicted, the girl's mother said: "In chess you play eight or nine moves in front. It's all about attack and he's the leader going to attack his goal. We were pawns in his game."

She was pleased Hall was given a 'strong sentence' but expressed some concerns.

She added: "In reality he is going to be out in half, in two years time, that's what worries me."

Hall, who is not thought to have physically abused the girl, shook his head as he was jailed and must also sign the sex offenders' register for life.

Hall committed his first horrific crime in 1985 and in 2011 he was convicted of indecent assault for breaking into a boarding school in 1991 and attacking three boys.

In 2013, he was convicted of indecent assault on a boy under 14 and gross indecency of another teenage boy under 14.

He sparked a huge manhunt in February 2016 after breaching conditions of his prison release and police have previously had to warn Irish police about intelligence which suggested he was planning on travelling to the country.

Description

A secondary school teacher who sexually assaulted a vulnerable teenage pupil has been jailed.

Ricky Sedani, 36, of Ellison Drive in Banbury, Oxfordshire, had earlier been found guilty at Luton Crown Court of sex offences involving a girl at a Bedfordshire school in 2015.

She came forward when a previous sex offence, for which he received a suspended sentence, was reported in the media.

He was given a 12-month sentence.

Sedani was found guilty of five offences of sexual activity with a child by a person who was in a position of trust and two offences of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

The court was told the offences had taken place at the school between April and July 2015.

The married teacher would get the girl on her own to touch her intimately and press himself against her. He also said he wanted to have sex with her and asked her to perform a sex act on him.

Sedani had pleaded guilty in 2017 to sexually touching and sending lewd messages to another student.

He received a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, and when the case was reported the victim in the second case told her mother he had sexually assaulted her two years before.

Prosecutor Peter Shaw said the offences involved planning, grooming and targeting of the youngster, who he knew to be vulnerable.

Passing sentence, Judge Lynn Tayton QC said: "You recognise what you did was grooming and you said as much to her."

Sedani had made the girl promise never to tell anyone about what was happening, telling her it would ruin his life, she said.

Det Con Kerry Smith, who worked on the investigation, said Sedani's actions were "abhorrent".

"He abused his position of authority, took advantage and violated the trust of two young girls who looked up to him as their teacher."

The court heard Sedani was no longer able to teach.

Description

Twisted Christopher Goble - who once appeared on the BBC to give his "thought for the day" - was found with a staggering 1,700 indecent images of children A paedophile vicar who downloaded thousands of sick child abuse images has been jailed for 20 months. Twisted Christopher Goble - who once appeared on the BBC to give his "thought for the day" - was found with a staggering 1,700 indecent images of children. A court heard they included over 600 "category A" images - the worst kind - on his laptop and phone with some featuring babies being horrifically abused. Goble, a married father who served within the Diocese of Coventry, was suspended after police found his sickening hoard when they raided his home on September 30. Detectives discovered the disgraced reverend had made searches for terms such as "incest" and young children before amassing his illegal collection over five years. He also had extreme pornography of women being penetrated by dogs and horses and discussed abusing a child with another adult in messages. Goble, of Ilmington, Warks., pleaded guilty to making 627 category A indecent images of children between November 2014 and September this year. He also admitted making 445 category B indecent images of children and 629 category C indecent images. In addition, he admitted possessing six prohibited images of acts of penetrative sex and 17 extreme pornographic images, including depicting oral sex with an animal. Goble was jailed for 20 months by Judge Sylvia de Bertodano at Warwick Crown Court today (Wed). He must register as a sex offender for ten years and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same time period. Sentencing, Judge de Bertodano said: You are here because on September 30, police came to your address. "They searched initially your phone and found a hidden gallery with indecent images of children. They went on to search other devices and fund two computers with more images on them. Over 600 of these images were the most serious category, category A, and there were getting on for 2,000 in total, mostly still but some moving. They include images of the rape of very young children, and babies at the most extreme end. It was a collection you had built up over a period of about five years. These are very serious offences. People sometimes think that because its just looking at pictures or movies that other people have made, you are not doing anything seriously wrong yourself. But thats not the case. What you are looking at is pictures of real children being horrifically abused. These pictures are created for a market, and that market is people who want to look at them. That is this case includes you, and its a market that has an endless appetite for more images of abuse, and that is why people go on making these images and they go on abusing children. You have made a very real contribution to the horrific abuse of the children in these pictures. You are not the sort of man anyone would expect to offend in this manner. You are 44-years-old. You are not only a man of good character, but your profession makes you a person respected in the community as a figure of moral authority. That makes it even more shocking that someone in your position would offend against these most vulnerable of human beings. I am sure you did your job very well. I have got a letter from one of your distressed parishioners who speaks very highly of you. You are a family man and have children of an impressionable age who you have lost as a result of this. You have lost your job, you have lost your good character. There are a number of aggravating factors. There is the very young age of the children involved. There is the fact you were searching for images of this kind, and it went on for a long period of time." Goble was previously pictured in 2015 giving his "thought for the day" to BBC Coventry & Warwickshire. The court heard Goble had served in south Warwickshire and was found with some of the warped material stored in a hidden folder on his phone. Prosecutor Adrian Fleming said: When police officers executed a search warrant at his address, he was asked for his phone and he initially claimed he had lost it two days previously. It was in his trouser pocket. It had a hidden photo gallery within the phone which contained a large number of pornographic images and a significant number of indecent images of children. They also found an HP laptop and a Compaq laptop. Across these devices, there were 627 category A indecent images, 445 category B indecent images and 629 category C indecent images. The vast majority are still. There are a few moving images. Some show penetrative sex with babies. There are images showing anal penetration of a one-year-old and a five-year-old. There are also four iPhones and three computers which cannot be gotten into, so it cannot be said they do not contain illegal material. The Crown applies for forfeiture and destruction of all of these. He made a number of searches including incest and young children. These are searches on search engines for prohibited material. There was messaging found which was very explicit in nature and described abuse of children. He has been messaging another adult and fantasizing about sex with children. This was very recently, in September this year. The court heard the messaging described abuse of a child below the age of six, but Goble was not charged as police were not able to find evidence the act took place. Naomi Perry, defending Goble, said: He has never committed any offences [before this]. What is not conveyed by the pre-sentence report is the depth of remorse that he feels, and the insight he has now gained into the man who was doing that, and the man he would like to get back to being. He has taken online courses including the Lucy Faithfull Foundation course [for internet offenders]. "The report says he should have been doing it sooner, and he shouldnt have been doing what he was doing at all. He was brought to his senses by the knock on the door, and from then on he has endeavoured to put things right. He is realistic that he will never be able to practice again. He is truly repentant, and that is how he stands before you. He has lost everything. He has lost his family. He and his wife arent speaking, so he has lost his children. He is now staying with his parents. Senior Crown prosecutor Andrew Crump, of CPS West Midlands, said: 'Christopher Goble is a vicar who, in his position of authority, should have been safeguarding children. 'This case sends a clear message that viewing indecent images of children is a crime and the CPS will prosecute those who commit these offences.' A Diocese of Coventry spokesman said: 'Christopher Goble was charged with the offences, following his arrest on October 1. 'He was suspended from ministry with immediate effect. 'We offer an unreserved apology to all those affected by these crimes, acknowledging how difficult and distressing it is. 'The diocese takes any allegations of criminal activity very seriously, and is committed to being a safer place for all - but we can never be complacent."