Suspended sentence for man who distributed child abuse images

Kevin Davis’ claim that he had no sexual interest in children was dismissed by a judge as he was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court last Monday.

But Recorder Anthony Hawks decided to suspend the 61-year-old’s nine-month prison sentence for two years while ordering him to sign on the sex offenders’ register for ten years and imposing a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.

The court heard police raiding Davis’ home in Stokewell Road, Wath, on September 3, 2018, seized two phones and three laptops.

They found almost 1,000 indecent images of children – including 199 at the most extreme level.

Davis said he had been using a sex chat site and other users had sent him the images, which he claimed were automatically saved on his computer.

Further examination of the devices found he had sent 17 child sex abuse images by WhatsApp, including two at the most extreme level, to other users.

Davis admitted three counts of making indecent images and three of distributing them.

He had no previous convictions but Recorder Hawks told him: “Nobody who has listened to this case would say you are a man of good character.

“You are a man with a plainly perverted interest in images of young children, sometimes young children being sexually abused.

“Your hands are just as dirty as the vile people who made these photos in the first place.

“If it was not for people like you, there would not be market for sick indecent filth, so don’t think you’re not a perpetrator.”