Accrington pervert jailed over 76,000 child sex images

Timothy Southwell, 50, kept stills and movies of youngsters, including very young children being abused. He has been jailed for three and a half years.

He blamed his perverted behaviour on stress.

Most of the pictures had been stashed away on his hard drive, which was highly encrypted, and he tried to thwart police inquiries by refusing to give the password to officers.

Lancashire Police could not get into the hard drive, the defendant still wouldn't give them the password even after a judge ordered him to and top computer specialists in London had to be called in to break the hard drive encryption, Burnley Crown Court was told.

Southwell, of Appleby Close, Accrington, who lost his job when he was arrested, admitted allegations of possessing and making indecent images of children, possessing extreme images and failing to disclose a key to protected information.

He was placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely, banned from working with children and given a sexual offences prevention order, monitoring computer and internet use. He had no previous convictions.

Stephen Parker, prosecuting, said police raided the defendant's home on November 15, 2010, and arrested both Southwell and his wife.

She was released a short time after, with no further action being taken.

They seized a computer, a number of CDs and a hard drive.

Mr Parker said the hard drive was sent to the National Technical Assistance Centre in London after considerable effort and money was spent trying to access it.

Despite the fact Southwell had claimed he could not provide the password, it was found the defendant had been using the hard drive about an hour and 15 minutes before the police executed the warrant at his address in November 2010.

Specialist analysis of the hard drive had revealed 64 files had been created,with 76,000 images.

The hearing was told in total, Southwell had 114 indecent images at level five, 511 at level four, 375 at level three, 231 at level two, 5,698 at level one, as well as ‘tens of thousands more’ at level one or two and 26 extreme images.

Level five is the most serious.

David Ryan, for Southwell, said: “He was quite clearly viewing these images for his own personal, sexual gratification.

He has not distributed, sold or shared any of these images and there is no suggestion he has had any sort of sexual contact with any child."

Mr Ryan said since Southwell's arrest, he had lost his job, a senior position with United Utilities, his good name, his dignity and his health.

The solicitor said the defendant, who had been leading a double life, was now suffering from stress, anxiety and depression.

Mr Ryan said: “He is deeply ashamed, deeply embarrassed and extremely remorseful for that which he has done."

Sentencing, Judge Beverley Lunt told the defendant he needed help, but he would have to receive it in prison.

She said his pre-sentence report and references she had read on his behalf had referred to the fact he had been suffering from stress, illness and had lost someone close to him when he committed the offences.

She said many people suffered from stress, illness and had been bereaved, but they did not go on the internet and download indecent images of children.

Judge Lunt said: ”Some were very tiny children and some of the extreme images showed children from the age of two upwards, being sexually abused by others so that you and others like you could watch these images and obtain sexual gratification.

Only somebody with a very sick disposition could find these images arousing as you did and it's obvious you need professional help."

DC John Banks from Accrington CID said: “This has been a long and complicated investigation during which Southwell maintained his innocence.

“This is not a victimless crime – these are images of children being subjected to serious sexual abuse.

"It is totally unacceptable and the police will continue to do everything within their powers to protect these vulnerable children and bring offenders to justice.”