Hartlepool loner avoids jail over 'grotesque' child abuse photos and videos of children as young as five

Jake Knight, 25, collected indecent material a senior judge branded ‘grotesque’ and ‘foul’ and showed young children in pain and distress.

Over a four year period, he amassed a collection of 464 indecent images of children. About half of them were movies.

He also had 121 extreme images of which 100 were movies, Teesside Crown Court head.

He was arrested when police went to his Hartlepool home with a search warrant in September 2019.

Knight, who lived with his parents admitted straightaway it was him they needed to speak to.

Various devices were seized. The illegal material was discovered on a mobile phone, a SIM card and PC tower.

Victoria Lamballe, prosecuting, said there was 96 images in the most serious category, 176 in the next and 192 in the least serious.

She said: “The images were created over a long period of time and some show children suffering obvious pain and distress.”

Ms Lamballe said there were a large amount of different victims portrayed adding: “The age of children depicted are as young as five years old.”

Knight, of Colwyn Road, admitted the offences.

Stephen Constantine, defending, said he was a lonely individual who had experienced a number of personal problems which affected his mental health.

But he said Knight had made efforts to address them and was now in a stable relationship.

Mr Constantine said: “Your lordship is dealing with a contrite young man who’s turned his life around and has vowed not to behave in such a manner again.”

He added there was a realistic prospect of Knight being rehabilitated.

The Recorder of Middlesbrough Judge Paul Watson QC said the offences related to real children being subjected to abuse.

Referring to the Category A (most serious) images, he said: "Some of the summaries which I have seen is particularly grotesque as is the case with the extreme pornography imagery. Some of that is particularly foul."

He added: "It’s a deplorable trade in misery and it’s maintained by people such as yourself.”

But Judge Watson said Knight had otherwise led a blameless life and shown genuine remorse.

He was sentenced to 12 months suspended for 18 months and ordered to go on a sex offenders treatment programme.

He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.

More court news: Kickboxer warned he faces jail for ‘vicious’ assault on man at Summerhill

Support your Mail and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on Pools and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.