December 2014
Pervert: Timothy Leech had pictures of under-age boys because he was ‘lonely’
A 40-YEAR-OLD Derbyshire man caught with indecent images of underage boys told police he viewed them because he was “lonely”.
Timothy Leech was caught with 88 images or films of boys aged 13 to 17 and two extreme pornographic images involving animals, Derby Crown Court was told.
The hearing was told police went to his address in Woodville, after gathering intelligence that he was viewing and downloading illegal images via a site called Gigatribe.
Sarah Slater, prosecuting, said: “The defendant allowed them into his premises and when asked about the images said he had downloaded some image from a website but ended up with some images he didn’t want.
“The police’s hi-tech crime unit took away his Packard Bell desktop computer and found the indecent images and movies on his hard drive.”
Miss Slater said there were 42 images or films of category A, the most serious, 34 of category B and 12 of category C.
Information gathered by the police discovered that they had all been downloaded between January 2012 and January this year.
Miss Slater said: “They were found in four main areas of the hard drive and portrayed male children aged 13 to 17 and most of them involved older boys, although one was of a pre-pubescent child.”
Police arrested Leech, of Capstan Close, and in interview he admitted using the Gigatribe and that he was “lonely sat at his computer” and was “not sexually attracted th children”.
Leech pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornographic images. He was said to be of previous good character.
Judge John Waitt handed Leech a three-year community order during which he must undergo supervision with the probation service.
He was also given an indefinite sex offenders’ protection order and is prohibited from deleting the history on any computer at which he works.
Judge Waitt told Leech: “Every time an indecent image of a child is downloaded it encourages those who abuse and torture children to get these images as they feel there is a market and profit in it.
“Downloading indecent images is therefore encouraging children to be tortured.
“I have read the report on you and you are seen as a hard-working person by your employer and close friends.
“I have come to the conclusion that you are someone who has now come to terms with what you did and you are prepared to address it.
“In my view, the risks of any recurrence are much less if you are controlled in the community than if I was to impose a custodial sentence on you today.”
Judge Waitt also ordered that Leech also pay £235 prosecution costs.
Steven Gosnall, defending, said: “He is someone who accepts what happened and is addressing that.”
