Police found a huge secret stash of more than 12,300 indecent images of children after they went to the home of an online pervert and carried out a search of his internet devices.
Some of the sickening images that were found showed very young children who were clearly in pain from the sexual abuse that they had suffered at the hands of people exploiting them, Hull Crown Court heard.
Lawrence McKee, 38, of Copandale Road, Molescroft, Beverley, admitted three offences of making indecent images of children.
Maya Hanson, prosecuting, said that police received information on July 23, 2023 that indecent images of children had been linked to an IP address for McKee. They went to his home on September 28 of that year and seized a number of items.
They were examined and a “high volume” of 12,334 images of children, including videos, were found. They included 457 in the most serious Category A, 231 in Category B and 11,646 in Category C. At least one of the children featured was as young as between one and two years old. Some of them were shown in pain from what was happening to them.
Chantelle Stocks, mitigating, said that McKee had shown a willingness to take part in any probation service activities that were imposed on him as part of a community order. He did not oppose the forfeiture and destruction of the items that were seized from him.
He had already registered as a sex offender and he had pleaded guilty at a hearing before Hull Magistrates’ Court. He had no previous convictions.
Recorder Mark McKone KC said that McKee had made “some fairly frank admissions” and he had already taken steps to tackle the issues involved. The images “literally involved children being raped” and one child was under the age of two. “When people like you download these images, it encourages people to cause these videos and photographs to be made and it encourages people to rape children further,” said Recorder McKone.
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“You admitted the offences to the police and explained how you came to commit these offences. Most people simply deny these offences or put forward some half-explanation into how they came into possession of these images. You have not done that.”
McKee was given a 10-month suspended prison sentence, 26 sessions of a sex offender treatment programme and 10 days’ rehabilitation. He was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and he must register as a sex offender for 10 years. The equipment seized will be forfeited.
“Usually, not always, people get one chance,” said Recorder McKone. “If you download images of children again, it will be an immediate sentence of imprisonment next time.”