Locations
Bowman Street, Carlisle, CA1 2HR
Description
A man who worked with children while secretly distributing illegal images of children has been jailed for two years.
Oliver Owen had about 6,000 still and moving images of children, including 1,081 of the most serious type, on his phone, Carlisle Crown Court heard.
The 25-year-old also advised others how to abuse children and described sick plans to open an orphanage to sell time with children to the highest bidder.
Owen, who worked as a child activity leader, admitted various offences.
When police went to his home in Carlisle in October 2020, Owen told them: "Yes, I think I have totally ruined my life and all I have worked for."
The images found on his mobile phone had been created during an 18-month period using three separate applications, prosecutor Tim Evans told the court.
Videos had been traded about which Owen had made a number of sick comments, Mr Evans said.
Mr Evans told the court Owen had also been engaged in group chat where child abuse was discussed and had "volunteered suggestions" about how this could be done; including a website targeting struggling mothers and "opening a orphanage where they could sell time with kids to the highest bidder".
Described as a man of previous good character, Owen admitted the distribution of illegal images, including category A, and making indecent photographs of children.
In mitigation, Judith McCullough said Owen, of Bowman Street, was "truly ashamed of himself and was "genuinely seeking to understand and deal with his issues".
She said: "The defendant says he didn't know how to escape and he was pleased, effectively, to be caught."
Judge Ian Unsworth QC said on Friday Owen's offending would be "truly shocking" to his family and friends.
He told Owen: "You descended into the very depths of depravity.
"This is a truly serious case of its type."
Owen must sign the sex offenders' register and comply with the strict terms of a prevention order for 10 years.