Locations
Leaside Way, Southampton, Hampshire, SO16
Description
POLICE found 58,000 "inappropriate" images on the laptop of a convicted paedophile, a court heard.
Pensioner Malcolm Webster is back behind bars after committing his fourth child sex offence and must now tell the authorities of his whereabouts for the rest of his life following his latest conviction for distributing videos of children being abuse.
The 69-year-old, pictured, who was previously jailed in 2000 for sexually assaulting youngsters and in 2013 for possessing images, was caught after officers carried out an inspection of his electronic devices.
Southampton Crown Court heard drawings of children, as well as thousands of prohibited pictures were found, including computer generated images of young people.
Prosecutor Daniel Sawyer said more than 7,000 illegal pictures were found, as well as indecent movies.
During the investigation police seized a computer tower.
While this was being examined, Mr Sawyer said, Webster purchased a laptop which was later found to have 58,000 “inappropriate but not chargeable images”.
Mitigating, Mark Florida-James said Webster wanted to apologise to his friends.
Judge Nicholas Rowland said: “Only because of people like you are that these young children are being abused and the misery that it causes them. If you did not distribute the images, they would not be abused.”
Webster, of Leaside Way, Southampton, admitted making indecent images, distributing indecent photos and possessing prohibited images.
He was sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order was made.
Following Webster's conviction, a spokesperson for child protection charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation said: “If you are concerned about what you are looking at online, or the online behaviour of someone you know, you can call the confidential and anonymous ‘Stop It Now’ helpline on 0808 1000 900 for advice, support and help to stop. Or visit stopitnow.org.uk to find out more.”