Man caught in Sunderland with child abuse images and photo of person having sex with horse
A man who accessed vile child abuse images as a coping mechanism for his personal issues went “beyond the pale”, a court heard.
Magistrates gave the damning judgement to Rowland Archer-Jones, 31, who had four images at the most serious level on a device when police came calling.
Archer-Jones, of Station Avenue South, Fence Houses, also possessed an extreme pornographic image which depicted a person in an act of intercourse with a horse.
His solicitor said Archer-Jones had erred due to looking for stimulus because of personal problems, which in the past had included mental health woes.
Alastair Naismith, defending, also revealed his client was abstaining from alcohol and had not used cannabis in the 48 hours before his court appearance.
Yet magistrates criticised Archer-Jones for seeking out abuse images of children aged as young as four at the most serious category A level.
They jailed him for a total of eight months, which was suspended for a year, and made him subject to sex offender notification requirements for a decade.
John Lee, the chair of the bench, told him: “It’s been said you’ve got issues, and a number of people have issues, and many people look for coping strategies to deal with the issues that they have.
“But looking for coping strategies with indecent images, especially children, is beyond the pale, it’s not something society does.
“The offences are so serious that only a custodial sentence can be passed here this afternoon.”
Prosecutor Jade Houston told the South Tyneside court the offences were committed on or about August 19, 2023, in Sunderland.
She said: “His phone was seized and as part of the investigation, it was examined and images at category A and extreme pornography was found.
“Four category A images depicting children as young as four years old were on the device.”
Archer-Jones pleaded guilty to one count each of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child and possession of five images of extreme pornography.
He has four previous convictions from 18 offences and by his own admission to the court has previously been jailed.
Archer-Jones must complete 25 rehabilitation days and pay a £187 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.
He was made subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for 10 years.