Determined Leeds paedophile researched how to hide the sickening child-abuse videos he downloaded
A paedophile was found to have researched how to hide his sickening interests after he downloaded videos of children being raped.
When they were found, devious and desperate Kevin Warneford’s tried to claim his email had been hacked, but it was found that email address was not linked to his vile activities.
The 28-year-old appeared at Leeds Crown Court this week where he admitted three counts of making indecent images and one of possessing prohibited images.
It was heard he had downloaded the illegal content between May 2023 and February 2025.
Police were tipped off about his online activities, and they went to his home address on February 13 last year where he was arrested.
Two iPhones were seized, as was a laptop, a hard drive and a computer tower.
Following a forensic analysis, they found 12 “movies” up to five minutes in length and classed as Category A - the most serious kind of abuse involving the rape of children.
They found 15 images and movies at Category B, and 15 in Category C.
There were also 98 prohibited images found, along with searches indicative of his interest in children, including terms such as “jailbait” and “incest”.
During his police interview he gave a prepared statement, denying matters. He then tried to claim he had been hacked, a claim he later abandoned.
Warneford, of Portman Street, Calverley, has no previous convictions.
Mitigating, Peter Byrne said Warneford had accepted his sexual attraction to children.
The judge, Recorder Ian Mullarkey gave him an eight-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered him to complete 20 rehabilitation days and 180 hours of unpaid work.
He was put on the sex offender register for 10 years and given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to curb his internet use.