A Bradford man has been jailed for secretly hoarding more than 35,000 indecent images of children.
A Court heard that loneliness and difficulty forming relationships with women compelled Andrew Barber to download the pornographic movies and photos on to his bedroom computer. Barber, 33, was locked up for six months and ordered to serve an extended 12 months period on licence when he is released.
He pleaded guilty at Dewsbury Magistrates’ Court in June to 21 charges of possessing indecent photos of a child. Yesterday he appeared before Recorder of Leeds, Norman Jones, QC, to be sentenced.
Prosecutor Heather Humpage told the court that West Yorkshire Police were tipped off by the United States Law Enforcement Agency that Barber had subscribed to internet porn sites.
In the early hours of January 11 this year police raided the home where he was living with his parents in Rushmoor Road, Holme Wood, Bradford. They found more than 35,000 pornographic movies and photos of children aged three to 15.
Miss Humpage said that some of the images were at the highest level of seriousness and portrayed sex acts and bondage. Barber told officers he was hoarded the images out of curiosity. He said they were for his own personal use and he had acted out of compulsion when he was depressed.
Philip Standfast, mitigating, said that Barber was of good character and was caught as part of the Operation Ore crackdown on child pornography.
He had never displayed any active paedophile tendencies. He was a lonely man who had been living with his parents and he had difficulty forming relationships with women.
Mr Standfast said Barber began by subscribing to an adult porn internet site but was tempted to view indecent images of children. It then became a compulsion. He had blocked the files on his computer so that no one else could share the images with him.
Mr Standfast said that 99 per cent of the material seized was in the less serious categories. Barber had made admissions to the police and had to face up to family and friends.
After neighbours found out they had called him in the street and his parents had had graffiti daubed on their home and received threatening phone calls.
Barber felt disgraced and shamed and had already attended eight counselling sessions. He stressed that Barber posed no danger to children.
Judge Norman Jones, QC, told Barber that although the vast bulk of the images were in the least serious categories some were serious.
The judge told Barber it was not suggested that he was a paedophile who preyed upon children but people who downloaded such images were encouraging the exploitation of youngsters.
