Married Sunderland dad had sickening collection of 17,000 child abuse images

Paul Dunn's "staggering" catalogue of pictures and movies featured some scenes of youngsters, aged between three and 15, being held into sexual positions by rope.

The 50-year-old, formerly of Featherstone Street, Roker, admitted three charges of making indecent photographs of children between July 2013 and June 2018.

His collection included category A images, which is the most serious of their type, and involved more than six hours of movie footage.

At Newcastle Crown Court Judge Julie Clemitson has sentenced Dunn to 12 months behind bars and said the harm caused to the children featured in the images was "unfathomable".

He has been ordered to sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

Judge Clemitson told him: "You had in your possession a staggering number of images, over 17,000, a significant number of which were category A images, of which a large portion were in fact movies, over six-and-a-half hours worth of the worst child abuse.

"The children depicted in the images were between ages three and 15, some of them restrained using ropes.

"The images you had in your collection were therefore some of the worst it is possible to contain.

"Each and every child depicted in these images and films were the victim of sexual abuse.

"They are all real children who are harmed by the abuse depicted in these images and that cycle of harm continues because there is a market for the images because people like you collect them, share them, want to see them."

Judge Clemitson added: "It is important to remember the harm caused to all the victims pictured in the huge collection you had. It is unfathomable when you consider how many children must have been involved."

The court heard Dunn has never been in trouble before, has lost his home as a result of what he did and has sought professional help since his arrest.

Jamie Adams, defending, said Dunn was depressed at the time of the offending and added; "He is totally and utterly ashamed by all of this.

"He has caused trauma and distress to his family.

"He has had to move, not just from his home, but also, now, from Sunderland.

"That has caused enormous upset."

Mr Adams said Dunn "has done all he can" to remedy his offending and is "highly unlikely" to offend again.