A MAN who accessed images depicting “evil and wicked” acts of child abuse has been warned there will be “no second chances” after he was spared an immediate prison sentence.

Alan Welsh, 69, told the police he did not receive any gratification from the sick images found on a computer seized from his home address in February 2020.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard police uncovered 132 indecent images of children at the most serious Category A, alongside 71 Category B images and 119 images at Category C.

The court was told the children depicted in the images were predominantly female and aged between six and ten.

In police interview, Welsh admitted to possessing the images, telling officers they were sent to him via online chat rooms.

But he denied getting sexual gratification from the images, an account he continued to maintain in an interview with the probation service.

Jerry Hayes, mitigating, said his client, a retired taxi driver, had since expressed “extreme remorse”.

He said: “He is willing to cooperate with the probation services and the various courses they suggest.

“He’s pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.”

Welsh admitted three counts of possessing indecent images of children.

Judge Christopher Morgan said: “It is quite plain from the material that you were deliberately searching at some point for indecent images of children.

“Denial often indicates firstly that an individual is trying to cover up their criminality and secondly a clear indication that a risk of future offending does exist.

“Your concession through Mr Hayes brings the position back to judging this case solely on the facts that are presented without any consideration of future risk.”

Welsh was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, with conditions to carry out a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement and an accredited course for sex offenders.

He will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order and police notification requirements for ten years.

Judge Morgan said Welsh’s previous good character, his early admissions, the delay in sentencing and the findings of the pre-sentence report persuaded him to suspend the prison sentence.

He said: “The possession of indecent images of children allows those who take the photographs to continue their evil practice and by so doing it commits and causes harm to the children that are photographed and abused.

“It is, on any view, a wicked form of sexual abuse that has long-lasting and often lifetime consequences for those who are abused.

“Those who view them will know those children have been abused, and by you viewing them and searching for them you simply perpetuate the abuse.”

He added: “This is your one and only chance, if there is any further offending of this nature in the future you will certainly receive a custodial sentence, there are no second chances.”

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