Locations
Buxton Avenue, Heanor, Derbyshire, DE75
Description
A "dirty old man" from Derbyshire who keeps getting caught with sick child abuse images of underage boys told police "I just can't stop it - like an alcoholic".
Derby Crown Court heard how pensioner Michael Brewer-Taylor's latest offence saw police find more than 100 horrific images and films on his laptop. The 72-year-old also had cleaning software on his computer which he would use to delete his browsing history.
And the defendant's sentencing hearing was told he had been carrying out similar offences for around two decades.
Jailing him for 32 months, Recorder Adrian Reynolds said: "There are young kids being forced into sexual activity that they either don't understand or don't consent to for the gratification of a dirty old man like you. What am I supposed to do with someone like you?
"You have been doing this for 20-odd years now and I have read a thoroughly written report about you and in it you come across as a totally deceitful man.
"You turn up for the meetings and say the right things but behind this you don't change at all. It gives me no pleasure at all to send someone of your age to prison but you have given me no choice whatsoever."
Leanne Summers, prosecuting, said Brewer-Taylor has been supervised by experts since being released from his last prison sentence for possessing indecent images of children.
She said two police officers arrived unannounced at his home in Heanor on June 23, 2020, and while one of them spoke to him the other checked his computer.
The prosecutor said: "The officer noticed on the home screen mentions of 'boy' and 'teen' and when he clicked on them that led them to indecent images. There were 36 of (the most serious) category A, 94 category B and 67 category C.
"There were also Google searches that suggested he had been looking for child sex pornography."
Miss Summers said also on the computer was cleaning software which would be capable of erasing the user's browsing history which the defendant was not allowed to have as part of a previously-imposed sexual harm prevention order.
She said in his interview he denied having any illegal material and instead suggested the images were legal and that those pictured were aged 18 and over.
The prosecutor said that in 2013 Brewer-Taylor was arrested and convicted of having indecent images of children.
Miss Summers said: "When asked about those images he told the police 'I just can't stop it - like an alcoholic'."
The defendant, of Buxton Avenue, pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images of children and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
Roger Wilson, mitigating, said his client's husband is in jail, but he did not say what for, and that he is due to be released from prison next year.
He said: "He had a good career, paid his mortgage off, lives alone, living like a hermit and happy in his own company. He is extremely terrified at his age of a prison sentence. A stand-alone suspended sentence would be like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head."
As well as the jail sentence, Recorder Reynolds handed Brewer-Taylor a fresh lifetime sexual harm prevention order. He will also be on the sex offender register for life.