Pervert spared prison after being caught with 100’s of indecent images of children
A St Austell man who was found with more than 450 indecent images of children on his computer has been spared jail.
A judge said it was only the genuine remorse shown by 40-year-old James McLellan of Hendra Lodge that prevented him being sent set straight to prison.
McLellan appeared at Truro Crown Court on Friday, having previously pleaded guilty to seven counts of possessing indecent images of children.
The court heard how police were alerted by an internet service provider in 2014 and how they searched McLellan’s home and seized his computer and a hard-disc drive.
In total they found 455 pictures and a small number of videos dating between 2006 and 2014, including 114 images in the most serious category.
Some of the images involved young children – in one case a child aged only 3 years old.
The court also heard that file sharing software was discovered on McLellan’s computer.
Judge Simon Carr said McLellan was of previous clean character and had shown genuine remorse for his behaviour.
He said: “This is clearly a case of a very lonely and isolated man who has difficulties with relationships and who has fallen foul of indecent images on the internet.
“I have no doubt that you started with adult pornography, which is legal, but moved on to indecent images of children.”
But he said child pornography was not a victimless crime and added: “This has become an industry, where people are abused by people who have no sexual interest in them – but because it’s a business.
“They are abused and raped in the worst possible way imaginable because people like you download it to your computer.
“I accept you are horrified by what you did and you would not repeat this offending.”
McLellan was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for two years. He must attend a sex offenders treatment programme with a rehabilitation requirement and will be listed on the sex offenders’ register.
