Sunderland pervert with 'sexual interest in children' found with over 10,000 indecent images

Officers were alerted to Stephen Rollins' offending when a category A image was uploaded to the internet over two years ago.

The 50-year-old then had his devices seized which contained the vast amount of images and videos stored on them.

Prosecutor Rachel Glover said: "Intelligence was received by Northumbria Police that a person had uploaded a category A image to the internet and their enquiries eventually led them to the defendant's home address in March 2020.

"Whilst at the home address they found electronic devices at the property and they sent a number of devices for examination and three of them contained electronic images of children."

The court that 129 category A images were seized along with 24 videos.

There were also 149 category B images with 18 videos, and 10,489 category C images with 80 videos.

Ms Glover added: "The time stance for this these files is said to be from the 25th of November 2015 and the 29th of March 2020."

The court heard that during interview, Rollins told officers he was part of a group of "like-minded people" who had placed an image of a child in a file which he had access to.

He admitted he thought he had a problem and that he was seeking help via a treatment programme, which he has since completed.

Rollins, of Pearl Road, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children and possession of extreme pornography.

Tony Cornberg, mitigating, told the court that his client, who has one previous conviction from 1989, had been extremely willing to address his issues.

Mr Cornberg said: "We all have experience in these courts about people who plead guilty and then nod about the courses they could do and nothing ever materialises.

"This case is an example of what happens when someone does take help."

Mr Recorder Ian Mullarkey told Rollins: "The case is aggravated because the ages of the children depicted range from five to 15-years-old.

"You were interviewed and you told interview officers you had a sexual interest in children and that you had viewed the images having paid for access to a filesharing app.

"You pleaded guilty at the first opportunity in the Magistrates' court.

"But it seems to me the sheer value of the images that there are puts this case across the custodial sentence.

"I do take into account the mitigation there is in the case to the extent you have made positive steps since your arrest to try and address your offending."

The judge imposed a ten month prison sentence, suspended for two years, alongside a sex offender treatment programme and 40 rehabilitation days.

Rollins must also sign the sex offender's register for ten years and abide a sexual harm prevention order for ten years, and follow a four month curfew.