Leeds pervert caught with more than 9,000 illegal images of children as police raid home
A pervert was caught with more than 9,000 illegal images of children after police raided his home in Leeds.
John Westerman kept the sick pictures on USB sticks and other devices which were seized by cops last year.
There were 9,272 images, of which more than 800 were videos – the longest being an hour in length.
The 57-year-old admitted three offences and appeared at Leeds Crown Court for sentencing yesterday (June 16).
The court heard that officers acting on information from the National Crime Agency executed a warrant at his address on May 10, 2023.
Analysis of his laptop showed that he had searched and bookmarked a website known to contain indecent images of children.
Prosecuting, Andrew Nixon said: “The ages of the children in the images ranged from toddlers to teenagers.
“Some of the images showed children in bondage and in distress.”
Defending, Eddison Flint said that an increase in workload during the pandemic and his mother’s death “sent his mental health into a spiral”.
He added: “His entire family is ashamed. He is ashamed and knows it is something that simply can never be repeated.”
Judge Tom Bayliss KC jailed him for 12 months.
Westerman, of Landseer Terrace, Bramley, was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to restrict his access to the internet.