Staffordshire prison officer caught with child pornography

Police swooped on the home of Christopher Parkes shortly after he had returned from the night shift at Oakwood Prison in Featherstone, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Officers had been tipped off that the 43-year-old father of two was among those who had been in contact with a man who had been transferring files containing indecent images of children to some Skype account holders.

Interrogation of the other man's computer equipment showed that he had been in touch with somebody using the name latenightguy1 on April 3, 2014 and had later sent indecent images of children to that person, said Mr Trevor Meegan, prosecuting.

Inquiries revealed that latenightguy1 was the alias of Parkes and police visited his family home in Holcroft Road, Kingswinford, in July last year.

His computer equipment was seized and checked by experts who discovered 74 indecent images of children – both moving and still – stored on it.

These included two that were regarded as being in the most serious category of this type of pornography. Mr Meegan said these and the other images featured girls as young as five in a variety of different poses.

Parkes, now living in Pinewood Close, Wombourne, confessed to police that over the previous two years he had been chatting to other Skype users about child sex, the court was told.

Miss Diljit Bachada, defending, said: "He was open, honest and transparent with the police and takes full responsibility for his offending. He started viewing images and things got out of hand.

"He was a prison officer at HMP Oakwood and as a result of this case was disciplined, suspended and has now lost that position."

Children's Services are now involved because of the age of his children, the court heard.

Parkes, who was of previous good character, admitted six charges of making indecent images between July 25, 2012 and July 7, 2015 and was given a three-year community order during which he must complete the Sex Offender Group work programme, which is aimed at stopping a person's interest in pornography.

Judge Amjad Nawaz told him: "This was really possession of indecent images. You were employed in a responsible employment and were in charge of people, some of whom will have committed similar offences to this. You have now lost that job as a consequence of this investigation. What is worrying is that your children are still very young."

Parkes, who now works in a warehouse and is being supported by his family, was also put on the Sex Offender Register and made the subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.