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18
Sept
Pateley Bridge man who possessed 919 indecent images of children avoids jail
Warning: this article contains distressing information.
A Pateley Bridge man who made more than 900 indecent images of a child and possessed extreme pornography has avoided jail.
Paul Elliott, of Greenhow Hill near Pateley Bridge, appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Thursday (September 17) for a sentencing hearing, having pleaded guilty at a previous hearing.
Elliott, 52, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possessing extreme pornography.
Magistrates were told that police seized devices from Elliott’s home and found 898 category C images and 11 category B images of children. Officers also found 10 category A images — which is the most serious kind.
There was also an extreme pornographic image of a person having sex with a dog.
The images dated from July 29, 2015, to May 22, 2024.
At a previous hearing, the court was told that the children in the images were aged between eight and 15 years old.
When conducting the investigation, police also found his search history to include the terms "bestiality" and "child sex material".
Andrew Tinning, defending, said that Elliott was “terrified at the prospect of going into custody” and that his partner wouldn’t be able to pay their mortgage alone.
He told the court that the 52-year-old posed a good chance of rehabilitation.
Elliott was given a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and a £272 fine.
He was also given 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days, a sexual harm prevention order for five years and a 10-year deprivation order.
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