Teenage paedophile from West Yorkshire who shared vile images of child abuse avoids prison

A teenage paedophile who shared vile images and videos of child abuse with others on messaging apps has avoided being locked up.
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Police found 2,783 pictures and movies of babies and children when they raided the home of Thomas Davis home in Kinsley in May of last year.

He was 17 at the time, and they confiscated his iPhone and a laptop computer and found 770 of the most disturbing kind of images classified as Category A, 603 Category B and 1,307 Category C, prosecutor Ashleigh Metcalfe told Leeds Crown Court.

Teenage paedophile from West Yorkshire who shared vile images of child abuse avoids prisonTeenage paedophile from West Yorkshire who shared vile images of child abuse avoids prison
Teenage paedophile from West Yorkshire who shared vile images of child abuse avoids prison

Of the images, 76 were movies classed as Category A.

They also found 78 extreme pornographic images.

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It was also found that Davis, who is now 18, had sent some of the files to other paedophiles through messaging services Kik and Snapchat, and was active in chats with other offenders who encouraged sending the illegal material.

Davis, of Willow Walk, Kinsley, admitted three counts of distributing indecent images.

Little mitigation was offered by his barrister, Alexander Menary, but he did say he had been frank with the police from the outset, and offered early guilty pleas.

Judge Robin Mairs told Davis that his young age had been the difference between him going to jail and keeping his freedom.

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He said: "Most seriously of all, you distributed these images.

"You were involved in active groups distributing a number of these films.

"Real children were caused real pain and really lasting damage. This is not a victimless offence.

"It's a measure of how serious these offences are viewed, that if you had been an adult at the time, then the sentencing range would have been up to five years.

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"Had you been, I would not have hesitated for sending you to prison for as long as I could.

"You are from a decent law-abiding family. The shock and horror this has caused them is evident to me."

He jailed him for two years, suspended for two years and ordered him to enroll in a sex offenders' programme.

He was also ordered carry out on 150 hours of unpaid work, and given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to limit his internet use.

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