Sheffield pervert with indecent images of children also took footage of a woman sunbathing

Sheffield Crown Court heard on October 3 how Alan Edwards, aged 36, of Cinder Hill Lane, near Grenoside, Sheffield, admitted he had been downloading indecent images of youngsters when police visited his home with a search warrant.

Prosecuting barrister Zaiban Alam said police found indecent images of children on a PC tower, a mobile phone and a laptop including category A, B and C images – with category A being the most serious – and they also found images of an unsuspecting woman sunbathing in a bikini in her back garden.

Ms Alam added: “The defendant made full admissions. He downloaded A, B and C images and he had been expecting a visit from police.”

Edwards told police he had started looking at images of children in swimwear before searching out indecent images of youngsters and accessing the Dark Web.

The defendant, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children relating to 254 category A images, 120 category B images and 2,713 category C images after they were created between June and December, 2020.

He also admitted one count of voyeurism concerning the images of an unsuspecting adult woman sunbathing in her garden.

Mark Dooley, defending, said Edwards was honest and frank with police about his offending behaviour from the moment officers knocked on his door.

He added that Edwards’ offending happened after he had been furloughed during the Covid-19 pandemic and he became isolated and began drinking alcohol.

Mr Dooley also said: “He is a man who is ashamed of his actions and accepts responsibility and culpability from the very outset of this matter.”

He added Edwards, who lives with and cares for his elderly father, has taken steps to address his offending and his issues with alcohol.

Judge David Dixon told Edwards: “In the early part of 2020 as a result of Covid and as a result of other issues you found yourself isolated and as a result of that the interest – if that is the right way of describing it – of looking at under-age children went from looking at children in swimwear to them being naked and then far, far, far worse.”

He added: “For every child that you saw that was being put through some sexual penetration or other that child was being abused.”

Judge Dixon also stressed that this kind of abuse with indecent images only exists because of the demand created by offenders such as Edwards.

He added that he was also concerned that Edwards had moved from online offending to the real world by “videoing” a woman sunbathing.

However, Judge Dixon recognised Edwards is the sole carer for his elderly father and that the defendant has shown there is a possibility of rehabilitation after he made full admissions.

Judge Dixon sentenced Edwards to 16 months of custody suspended for two years with a rehabilitation requirement and an alcohol abstinence monitoring programme.

Edwards was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years to monitor his movements and was served with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period to restrict his internet usage.