A PERVERT from Runcorn caught with thousands of indecent images of children on IT devices has escaped an immediate prison sentence.
Terence Ludgate, 47, of Rydal Grove, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for two years after appearing at Warrington Crown Court on Tuesday, October 13.
The defendant will also be supervised for the next two years, was told to attend a sex offenders programme and pay £340 towards the prosecution costs.
He was sentenced by Judge Nicholas Woodward for one count of possessing indecent images of children, three of making indecent images of children, two charges of possessing extreme pornography and one count of distributing indecent images of a child.
Mandy Nepal, prosecuting, told the court that officers last year uncovered a Dell laptop, 12 CDs and a mobile phone during a search of an address.
Ms Nepal told the court that 29 indecent videos and one image were found at category A, which according to Crown Prosecution Service guidelines are the most serious type.
The prosecution added that a further nine indecent images and eight videos at category B, with 9,704 images and seven videos discovered at category C.
Ms Nepal also told the court that 22 videos and one image of extreme pornography were also found.
The prosecution said that during an interview with police, the defendant said: “I am sorry. I have never been so wrong in my life.
“I have never been so scared.”
She added that Ludgate also told officers he was ‘ashamed of his behaviour and actions’.
The judge told the court that he was considering imposing a suspended sentence, and Ludgate’s defence John Banasko said that it would ‘echo my thoughts’.
Sentencing Ludgate, the judge said: “Now you have been found out, you are deeply ashamed for what you have done and are extremely remorseful.”
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/