October 2014
Paedophile who downloaded ‘extreme’ indecent images of children as young as four jailed
A PAEDOPHILE who downloaded extreme indecent/abusive images of children as young as four is beginning a two-year jail sentence.
Bolton Crown Court heard how Lea Mulrooney claimed he had downloaded the images and put them in a shared file on the GigaTribe internet service while affected by medication for mental problems.
When the drugs wore off he realised what he had done and deleted the files, he said.
Jane Dagnall, prosecuting, said 42-year-old Mulrooney’s then home in Radcliffe was raided by police in July last year by officers investigating the use of GigaTribe by paedophiles.
They confiscated his laptop and although the images had been deleted, police experts were able to recover 239 illegal images.
Mulrooney, of Glaisdale Street, Tonge Moor, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing indecent images of children and 19 counts of making indecent photographs.
Michael Lea, defending, told the court Mulrooney’s actions had had consequences for him.
“His drunken and drug-fuelled excursions into the dark net have brought him to court,” he said, adding that he has now lost contact with his family.
Judge Peter Davies sentenced Mulrooney to two years in jail and ordered him to be placed on the sex offenders’ register.
