Judge takes 'exceptional' course with Hartepool man found with child porn on phone

Clayton Egglestone, 21, was found with 191 illegal images after his activities on the internet came to the attention of the authorities.

Teesside Crown Court heard the National Crime Agency became aware of indecent images on a Snapchat account linked to Egglestone’s mobile and informed the police.

Officers found the child pornography on the phone when they searched his address.

Egglestone pleaded guilty to making 67 images in the most serious Category A, 36 Category B images and 88 of Category C when he appeared at Teesside Magistrates Court in July.

He downloaded them between August 24, and September 22, last year.

Egglestone faced possible prison when he appeared before the crown court for sentence.

But the judge, Recorder Caroline Goodwin, said he had a number of inadequacies and was described as immature and vulnerable.

Recorder Goodwin told Egglestone: "It seems to me this is an exceptional case”.

But stressing the seriousness of what he did, she added: “You must realise that even though you are not responsible for the recruitment of these children, the fact that they are in these photographs demonstrates the abusive background into which they have found themselves.”

Egglestone, of Brunel Close, Hartlepool, was given a 24-month community order, probation and put on the sex offenders’ register for five years.

He was also banned from having unauthorised contact with girls under 16 as part of a sexual harm prevention order.