Sunderland loner caught with thousands of child abuse images

A loner was caught with thousands of child abuse images on his computer devices.

Police raided Damien Hatliff's home in Sunderland, in 2018 after intelligence suggested illegal images had been accessed there.

Newcastle Crown Court heard his internet devices were examined and found to contain 968 category A images, which is the most serious, 631 category B and 5,825 category C.

The court heard the sickening collection included pictures and videos.

Police also found one prohibited image and six of extreme pornography, featuring adults with animals.

Prosecutor Omar Ahmad said: "The age range of the children ranged from two to 16 or 17."

Mr Ahmad said the images were found on "multiple devices".

Joe Hedworth, defending, said Hatliff, who relocated to Staffordshire, was bullied at school and has a "very sad and lonely life".

Mr Hedworth said Hatliff, who has no previous convictions, has been out of trouble since the images were found by the authorities in 2018.

Hatliff, 29, of Kings Street, Stoke on Trent, admitted three charges of making indecent images of children, one of possessing a prohibited image and one of possessing extreme pornography.

Judge Amanda Rippon said the children in the images were abused in the most

"grotesque" way and told Hatliff: "Every child that you looked at being abused was your victim."

Judge Rippon said the primary concern of the court is rehabilitation to prevent re-offending, which is best achieved by professional intervention.

Hatliff was sentenced to a communithy order for three years with rehabilitation requirements and 100 hours unpaid work.

Hatliff must sign the sex offenders register for five years and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

The judge added: "There's lots of lonely people but they don't do this."