The family of a young man who downloaded images of children as young as three being abused stood by him after his arrest.
Matthew Simm, a 21-year-old zoological student, had his house raided after the indecent images were uploaded to the internet via Twitter, Liverpool Crown Court heard. Police arrived at his Lydiate home on May 6 last year after checks on a related IP address led them to that property.
Frank Dillon, prosecuting, said Simm acknowledged the email addresses were his but denied knowing anything about the offences. His electronic devices were seized and illegal images were found on two phones and a laptop.
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The court heard that forensic examination revealed a total of 703 images and videos, including 362 in the most serious Category A, which involves child rape. Mr Dillon said that they also found 100 extreme pornographic images, of which one was a video.
It was found that the images had been searched or accessed in the days before his arrest. Simm, of Coppull Road, Lydiate, pleaded guilty to three offences of making indecent images of children, one of possessing them and one of possessing extreme porn. Judge Anil Murray told him that he found it impossible to accept his claim that he was not sexually attracted to children.
He said that the images showed children as young as three or four and they included videos but he accepted there was no distribution of the images. The judge told the student that he accepted he has shown insight into his offending and is being supported by his family.
Judge Murray also said Simm had also been assessed as posing a low risk of re-offending or causing serious harm and had pleaded guilty. The offences admitted by the defendant involved a lesser overall amount of indecent images of children - 566- than in the prosecution case and the judge said he would sentence on the lower basis.
He sentenced him to eight months imprisonment suspended for two years, ordered him to carry out 150 hours unpaid work and 15 days rehabilitation activities. Simm was also ordered to sign on the Sexual Offenders Register for ten years and the judge imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same length of time restricting his internet use.
Peter White, defending, said that the defendant has no previous convictions and had pleaded guilty, indicating his remorse. He also presents a low risk of re-offending, he added.
