A man who possessed more than 200 sexual images, including of children, and distributed a number of them via Whataspp messages, has avoided jail.

Osman Aliev, of Every Street, Nelson, had 203 images and videos of children and of sexual acts performed on animals saved across a range of devices.

Preston Crown Court heard how Aliev, 47, was charged on 10 different counts of making, possessing and distributing indecent images across two offending sprees.

He initially pleaded not guilty during his first court appearance on June 29, 2022, but changed these pleas to guilty on March 20 this year.

On July 13, 2020, officers from Lancashire Police attended Aliev’s address after they were provided with two reports by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The second report provided information of a WhatsApp user who uploaded an illegal image of a child to the internet on March 18, 2020.

Virgin Media advised that the IP address used was from Every Street in Nelson and it was then traced to Aliev’s home address.

Aliev was cautioned and advised police were investigating possession and distribution of illegal images of children, and they seized a Samsung mobile phone which Aliev said was an old number from his home country of Bulgaria and it no longer worked in the UK. An unbranded laptop and two USB sticks were also seized.

Police attended Aliev’s address again on March 17, 2021 to conduct further enquiries. He was asked to produce his phone and told the officer he’d had it for three months. The officer rang the number provided by the NCMEC and this caused the phone Aliev was holding to ring.

He was then asked if he had any more storage devices in the house and produced another USB stick from the drawer of a bedside table, which was seized.

Across all of the devices, there were 49 category A images - being the worst kind; 64 category B images; 44 category C images; 45 extreme images; and one prohibited image. 

Mitigating, Ashleigh Hayworth said Aliev was of “absolute good character” and since the commission of the offences he had not offended further.

She added that Aliev was fully aware he was at risk but says he would be ideal for community rehabilitation rather than a custodial sentence.

Passing sentence, Recorder John Richard Jones said: “On July 13, 2020, police officers attended your home address in Nelson. They did so in consequence of information received that a WhatsApp user geolocated to that address uploaded various sexual images.

“You were then in possession of a Samsung mobile. You were to tell officers that was an old Bulgarian number which did not work in the UK. A laptop and two USB drives were also seized.

“The devices were interrogated.

“Police seized these items and you were released under investigation on police bail in July 2020.

“On March 17 2021 police again attended your home in consequence of further information and a report concerning uploading and distribution of images.

“Of significant disturbance is the section in the pre-sentence report entitled offence analysis. Within that section it’s clear to me you demonstrate no victim empathy.

"You maintain your own interest was only in adult pornography and all images were sent to you by group chats. I do not accept that account.

“The very fact you were in possession of identical material once your devices had been seized leads me to believe you acquired new devices and went out and sought the same type of material.

“It is clear you are a hard working and diligent man at work, have impressed your employers and are regularly offered and accept overtime at work.

"You have a family; a wife and an adult son, who I am told are devastated by these proceedings, and one can easily understand and accept that.”

Aliev was jailed for 16 months, suspended for two years. He was also given notification requirements for 10 years and ordered to attended 40 rehabilitation requirement activity days.

All of Aliev’s devices were destroyed.