Sept 2010

A SICK computer expert who hoarded more than half a million child sex pictures has escaped a prison sentence.

Depraved Sanjiv Dale, 38, joined an online child porn ring called the Forbidden Realms where he shared some of his collection of 556,432 sickening photos and films of abuse.

The IT expert, who worked for BT, was one of the highest ranking members of the sick website, where he posted almost 200 images between 2007 and 2008.

Dale was arrested and his home in Brentwood, Essex, was searched in September 2008 when police officers discovered he was a member of the child porn forum.

Officers discovered more than half a million images and films saved on the hard drive of his computer including a picture of a two-year-old girl and mobiles of girls aged between eight and 12-years-old.

Another sick image showed an adult tying up children and whipping them.

Judge Alan Saggerson, sitting at Basildon Crown Court, said he was showing mercy to Dale because 97 per cent of the images were less serious and he had pleaded guilty.

For these reasons he gave him a long community order — rather than a short prison sentence.

He said: “There would be no time for anyone to address your personal problems and your inadequate and immature personality.”

Dale was given a three year community order and supervision order.

He must also attend a sex offender management course and will be on the sexual offenders’ register for ten years.

Detective Constable Andy Flack from Essex Police said: “This has been a long and painstaking inquiry which started after we received information from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, the worldwide organisation that monitors the internet for indecent images of children.

“A number of other people have been arrested by other police forces in the UK following the investigation into users of the Forbidden Realms website.

“It has taken Essex Police two years to bring this man to justice and we hope that this investigation sends out a clear message to others who may be involved in creating and distributing these appalling images of children.”

The Forbidden Realms website was run by someone calling themselves The Lord.

It included chat rooms with names such as Flower Garden, the Maidens’ Field, the Fairgrounds and the Castle Dungeon where paedophiles could look at photos of young girls.