Sunderland sex offender caught with collection of child abuse images on his mobile phone

Darren Jones, who has previously served a prison sentence for child sex offences, had a total of 43 sickening images on his device.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the illegal material was found after police raided his home and seized his phone in December 2019.

The court heard the children featured in the vile catalogue were as young as four.

Prosecutor Michael Bunch told the court when Jones was first arrested he claimed he had clicked on a link that had been sent to him by someone else, sawfive images, which he viewed once and "got rid of them".

Mr Bunch said after police had fully inspected the device, he was interviewed again and added: "He was unable to offer any explanation for why there more images than he described in the first interview or why they were viewed across various dates, rather than on a single occasion as he suggested in that initial interview."

Jones, 55, of Creswell Terrace, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, admitted three charges of making indecent photographs of children, across all three categories of seriousness.

The court heard his previous convictions include offences of indecent assault and exposure, in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, in 1991.

He was convicted of three charges of indecent assault on a person under 16 in 2000 and jailed for three years at Teesside Crown Court.

Judge Sarah Mallett told Jones the latest offences took him as close to going back to jail as he "ever wants to get".

Jones was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, with programme, rehabilitation and curfew requirements.

He has to obey a sexual harm prevention order and sign the sex offenders register for ten years.

Nicholas Lane, defending, said probation officials concluded a prison sentence in Jones' case would act as a punishment but that is all and added: "I wouldserve no value in reducing his risk of re-offending or assisting him in making sense of his behaviour."

Mr Lane added: "He thought his offending was behind him.

"It is to his deep shame he finds himself before Your Honour today."