Sheffield pervert caught with indecent images of children, aged four to six, spared jail

Alexander Crane, aged 26, of Halesworth Road, Handsworth,appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on October 19 after committing offences of possessing and making indecent images of children as well as an offence of distributing an indecent photo of a child.

Mr Justice Richard Jacobs said the most serious of the offences involved possessing 529 category A images of children, which is the most serious category for such images.

He told Crane: “There are aggravating features in this case. The high volume of images. The fact that some are moving images and most significantly some of the images involved children as young as four to six years-old.”

Crane pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of youngsters relating to categories A, B and C from May and November, 2019, and to three counts of making indecent photos of children relating to categories A, B and C during or before November, 2019.

He also admitted distributing one category C image of a child, possessing one prohibited image of a child and possessing two extreme pornographic images portraying a person having intercourse with an animal, all from November, 2019.

However, Mr Justice Jacobs said Crane has no previous convictions and had made frank admissions during his second police interview including the sexual purpose of having the images.

The court heard Crane has worked to address his issues, voluntarily attended a course following his arrest and has taken steps to obtain full-time employment, seeking to qualify as an electrician.

Mr Justice Jacobs said there is evidence of remorse and he believes there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, without which Crane may have faced immediate custody.

He told Crane: “There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation in your case and there is strong mitigation that can outweigh other factors that might have otherwise led to an immediate custodial sentence.”

Mr Justice Jacobs sentenced Crane to 16 months of custody suspended for two years, with a sex-offender treatment programme, a rehabilitation requirement and a two-year ban from overnight stays at addresses where youngsters aged under 18 are present.

Crane was also made the subject of Sexual Harm Prevention Order for eight years.

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