Convicted Leeds paedophile 'inadvertently' re-downloaded child pornography images when setting up Google account

David Sawford, 56, of Roundhay Place, was issued with a suspended six month sentence for three counts of possessing indecent images of a child at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday.

The court heard that Sawford had been sentenced in 2021 for the possession of 72 indecent images that had been found on his mobile phone. For the prosecution, Heather Gilmore said that Sawford “has not searched for or downloaded” illegal images since he was sentenced.

However, on May 12, 2021, Ms Gilmore said Sawford “inadvertently caused all of his data to be downloaded automatically” while setting up a Google profile on a new device, which included the illegal images he’d previously been sentenced for.

Despite it being one of his requirements as part of a previous sexual harm prevention order, Sawford didn’t tell police about his new phone as he “knew they would find the images”. In interview he told police he thought the images were “the same he had been prosecuted for before”.

Sawford is serving an indefinite sexual harm prevention order after being jailed for 30 months at Preston Crown Court in 2010 for sexual activity with a child.

Sentencing Sawford, who is serving an indefinite sexual harm prevention order for sexual activity with a child, His Honour Judge Tom Bayliss KC said: “These images were on your phone. There’s an element of fault because you were cagey about your electronic devices.”

He sentenced Sawford to six months in prison, suspended for one year, and ordered to attend rehabilitation.