Jail for Sheffield pervert who downloaded child porn featuring babies

A Sheffield pervert who downloaded vile child porn including images of babies and continued to use pornography after his arrest has been jailed.
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Police raided Phubodin Phiraphan's home on November 12, 2018, and confiscated five devices, said prosecutor Ian Goldsack.

Analysis of three computers revealed he had downloaded 239 still images and 198 movies ranked as Category A, the most extreme category.

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He also downloaded 568 still images and 28 movies at Category B, 900 still and five movies at Category C, as well as 28 prohibited images and two extreme porn images.

Read the latest cases from Sheffield Crown Court.Read the latest cases from Sheffield Crown Court.
Read the latest cases from Sheffield Crown Court.

Mr Goldsack said there was evidence that some of the children, aged from 0 to 16, were in “discernible pain and distresss.”

Joy Merriam, mitigating, said Phiraphan has no previous convictions and has “shown remorse and insight.”

“He paints quite a sorry tale of a young man who is completely isolated,” she said. “He has no family or friends and his life revolves around online activity."

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She said he was brought to the UK from Thailand by his mother, who later seems to have abandoned him and moved to the US.

“His offending is confined to observing pornography,” Ms Merriam said. “He chose to go into dark areas for additional stimulation. He has shown insight into the effect on those children who were involved in this abhorrent trade.”

She said he needs “help to form proper adult relationships and not immerse himself in the murky twilight world of pornography.”

Phiraphan, 22, of Villiers Close, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to five offences relating to indecent images, on November 24, last year.

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Judge David Dixon told him: "You are a bored, lonely individual with no real outlet to occupy you save the internet.

"You were searching for terms that are bizarre. You were also looking at rape statistics. They show you have a fascination, if not worse, with anything sexual.

"You understand that for every one of those images someone was abused. People like you, looking at this material, encourage that abuse. Therefore you are complicit in it.

"No one has checked your computer to see if you are safe. I don't see scope for rehabilitation. You must go to custody."

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The judge sentenced him to 12 months, and added: “These cases are taking too long to get to court. It isn't good enough.”

Read the latest cases from Sheffield Crown Court here.

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