February 2015
Paedophile spared jail after downloading 1500 indecent images of children aged as young as 3
A 24-YEAR-OLD who downloaded more than 1,500 indecent images of children was spared jail after saying he wants to change.
Police raided Harry Ansell’s home in Hunsley Avenue, west Hull, after receiving intelligence suggesting the images were being downloaded on to four computers at the address.
Some of the images and movies were of an “extreme” nature and included girls as young as three.
Prosecuting, David Gordon said Ansell had confessed to police upon his arrest and said he was already getting help.
Mr Gordon said: “He admitted having a sexual interest in children but said that was no longer the case and described how he was seeking professional help.
“He said he was interested in girls aged 14-plus and said he had been interested in such images since he had been young, for the past eight years or so.
“This is not something we can accept in light of what was found on the computer.”
Of the images, which had been collected between 2010 and last year, 326 were of the worst kind.
Ansell pleaded guilty to possessing indecent and extreme images. Many had been deleted from his computer’s hard drive but were recovered by specialist police technology.
Mr Gordon said there was no evidence to suggest Ansell had created or distributed the images.
In mitigation, Richard Thompson described the case as “unusual” due to Ansell’s age and the length of time he had been looking at indecent images.
He said: “He has indicated to the probation service he would welcome and benefit from their input in respect of the problem he clearly acknowledges.”
Sentencing Ansell, who appeared in court alone, to a three-year supervision order, Judge Graham Robinson said: “It is sometimes thought by people like you that because the material has already been made, you are not doing any additional harm to the children who appear in these images.
“That is utterly fallacious because if no one was interested in downloading this appalling material, there would be no market for it and no one would produce it.
“Children’s lives are blighted having been involved in this pernicious treatment.
“This is not a victimless crime.
“The children featured in your images have undoubtedly been abused and had their lives ruined.”
Ansell was also given a sexual offences prevention order and must sign the sex offenders register for five years.
