September 2013
Community order for perverted pensioner
A PERVERTED pensioner who downloaded indecent images of young babies being abused from the internet has been sentenced to a three-year community order.
Convicted “flasher” William Sanderson, 65, had more than 700 images on his computer tablet and Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that some of the shocking material involved babies that were just a few months old.
Police officers monitoring Sanderson’s behaviour discovered the indecent images when they visited his home in July last year.
Prosecutor Charlotte Eastwood told the court that Sanderson, who has several convictions for indecent exposure dating back to the 1960s, initially claimed to have only been visiting naturist websites.
In July this year Sanderson admitted 11 charges relating to his possession of the indecent images and yesterday Judge John Potter imposed a three-year community order with a three-year supervision requirement.
Judge Potter said Sanderson had downloaded the material for his own perverted sexual gratification, but he was now indicating, for the first time in his life, a willingness to undertake work with specialist probation staff.
“It is clear to me, Mr Sanderson, that you are somebody who is a determined sexual deviant,” said the judge. “I want to make it very clear to you that downloading material of this type has a direct effect upon children being caused harm. You contribute to that harm of children.”
Sanderson, of Greycourt Close, Halifax, will also have to undertake a high-level activity programme for 50 days and he will be subject to a sexual offences prevention order which restricts his access to the internet.
He will also have to register as a sex offender with the police for five years and he is now banned from any work with may involve contact with children.
