Pervert who hid 1,300 pictures of children given suspended sentence

A laptop and memory card found at Philip Clarke's flat in Newhampton Road West, Whitmore Reans, contained a total of 1,303 indecent images and 151 indecent videos of children aged between three and 12.

Laura Hobson, prosecuting, said the youngest child pictured was around three-years-old and in at least one image the child was in "discernible pain and distress".

Clarke, aged 42, also shared 45 indecent images and four indecent videos with others using Yahoo and Skype.

He was handed an 18 month suspended sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday having previously admitted six counts of possessing and seven counts of distributing indecent images.

He must carry out 150 hours of unpaid work, attend a sex offenders' treatment programme and pay £500 in costs. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

Police officers discovered the images after carrying out a warrant at Clarke's home in September last year. Most of the pictures were found on a memory card hidden under a mattress on his bed.

Of the 1,454 images and videos, 121 were classified in the most serious category, Category A, covering penetrative sexual activity. Some of the material shared by Clarke also fell into Category A, the court heard.

Miss Hobson said Clarke was interviewed by police in April this year and made it clear the images were not for his satisfaction.

"He said the still and moving images were not to look at himself but that he was looking to stitch his father up by breaking into his home and putting them on his computer," explained Miss Hobson.

"He said he was an ex-burglar so he would have been able to get in to the property."

Clarke told police he had shared images between January and August last year to 'build rapport' with paedophiles online and obtain further indecent material.

Oliver Woodhouse, defending, said: "This is not a case where he was part of a wider paedophile ring where there has been exploitation for a wider commercial benefit.

"There is no indication of that was behind his behaviour.

"The vast majority of the 49 items distributed were in the lower categories and there was a limited number of images of the most serious type."

Judge Michael Challinor, said: "It is one thing to view this material, albeit a perverted act, but it much more serious to distribute it thereby potentially encouraging the vile abuse of children.

"The images included those in category A and some of those shared were of very young and obviously vulnerable children."

He added: "My task is to protect the public and it seems to me the protection of the public is best achieved by keeping you out of prison and by putting you on courses to turn you away from these sorts of behaviour."