Man jailed for amassing 'library' of indecent images of children

Stephen Magee downloaded over 2,000 videos and still photographs of children being abused storing some of them on a memory disc so that he could watch them on his television.

Richard Veni, prosecuting, said police raided Magee's home at Blyton, north of Gainsborough, in October last year after being given information about what he was doing.

Officers seized electronic items including a laptop, USB memory disc, DVD and a CD.

A total of 2,800 indecent images of children were found on the items including over 200 videos. The images included films and photographs of young girls being tied up and subjected to sexual abuse.

Mr Veni said "The defendant was arrested at work. He admitted looking at the images for sexual gratification. He also admitted sharing links he received with other users.

"As regards the USB stick, he used that so he could play it into his television without the need to load up his laptop."

Magee, 31, of Paddock Lane East, Blyton, admitted three charges of making indecent images of children. In addition to being jailed he was given a six-year sexual harm prevention order.

Recorder Simon King, passing sentence, told Magee: "You took it on yourself to acquire a library of indecent images of children.

"It is clear that you used these primarily for your own sexual gratification.

"These involve the horrible degradation of girls as young as 18-months-old.

"It seems to me that any right-minded person would recognise that someone who has made it their business to collect material of this sort can only be dealt with by a custodial sentence."

Sunil Khanna, in mitigation, said that Magee started looking at pornography after becoming depressed when his relationship broke up.

Mr Khanna said: "He was devastated by the end of that relationship. He became very depressed. He became more and more isolated.

"He was initially looking at 'normal' pornography but that led to him receiving links to these images. He knew what he was doing was wrong. He wanted to stop but he couldn't do so.

"He now wants to get his life back on track."

Following the sentencing hearing, Detective Constable Kirsty Longmuir, from Leicestershire Police's Online Investigation Team, said: “This was a difficult case. We viewed and categorised over 2,800 indecent images and videos.

"Anyone making, looking at and sharing indecent images should know, we will do everything we can to stop this crime and safeguard the children involved."