Pervert found with indecent images of children in Sheffield is jailed after he fled to Germany

Sheffield Crown Court heard on July 26 how 32-year-old David Stannard’s former Sheffield home had been raided by police who discovered he had been viewing hundreds of indecent images of children.

Gurdial Singh, prosecuting, said police raided the property and found hundreds of indecent images of children on a laptop but after Stannard was located he failed to attend court and a European arrest warrant had to be issued to ensure his return to the UK from Germany.

Judge Jeremy Richardson QC told Stannard: “A European arrest warrant was sought and granted by a magistrates’ court. The assistance of German police was sought. The warrant was executed in the Federal Republic and you were brought under arrest to the UK.

“That procedure was elaborate and involved and it was necessary because you declined to come back to this country of your own free will.”

Stannard, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children relating to categories A, B and C still and moving images with category A being the most serious.

These included 651 still and 63 moving images of category A, 354 still and 31 moving images of category B, and 412 still and 31 moving images of category C dating from between March, 2017 to March, 2019.

Stannard also pleaded guilty to having 70 prohibited images from March, 2019, and to failing to surrender to court.

Charlotte Rimmer, defending, confirmed Stannard suffers with depression and leads an isolated “friendless existence” and hopes to become a permanent resident in Germany.

She added Stannard had begun viewing adult pornography before he viewed indecent images of youngsters and he is disgusted with himself and ashamed.

Judge Richardson told Stannard: “Had you come back to this country of your own free will you could have been on bail and had you fallen for sentence in normal circumstances the sentence might have been suspended.”

He sentenced Stannard, of Achiles, Dusseldorf, Germany, to 11 months of custody and the defendant was made subject to the Sex Offenders Register and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years.