Man sentenced for possessing indecent images of children
A Market Rasen man has been handed a suspended jail sentence after admitting a number of offences including making and distributing indecent images of a child.
Stephen Paddock, age 59, of Gordon Field, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire but formerly of Roughton, Norfolk was sentenced on Thursday (September 17) at Norwich Crown Court, according to Norfolk Police.
They stated he had previously pleading guilty to two counts of distributing an indecent photo of a child; three counts of making indecent images of a child; possessing an extreme pornographic image; two counts of breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO); and failing to comply with notification requirements (sex offenders' register).
In June 2024 a police investigation into an online chatroom where indecent images of children were being shared led officers to Paddock, who was living in Roughton at the time said Norfolk Police.
He was arrested on June 6, 2024 and when officers checked his phones and computers they found more than 3,000 of indecent photos and videos of children, some as young as four. There were also a number of images which were classed as extreme pornography, said police.
Paddock had previously been convicted in 2012 of possessing indecent images children. As part of that sentence, he was made subject of an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) prohibiting him from using or accessing the internet without storing the search history, from deleting any search history and from possessing any device capable of storing digital images unless it was made available for examination by police officers.
In the 2024 case, Paddock had tried to delete his search history and even tried to suggest someone else had downloaded the material. But eventually pleaded guilty to all charges, said police.
On Thursday a judge at Norwich Crown Court sentenced him to three years imprisonment suspended for three years and ordered him to complete 15 days of Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.
Following sentencing investigating officer DC Paul Atkinson said: "Paddock had already been convicted of offences involving indecent images of children and was subject to restrictions specifically designed to prevent further offending. He knew exactly what these restrictions meant yet he deliberately chose to ignore them.
"There is nothing victimless about downloading, possessing or distributing these kinds of images. Behind every photo is a real child who has been abused and exploited. Accessing and sharing this material continues the harm caused to those victims.
"We will continue to do everything we can to identify other offenders and bring them before the courts."