A man has been given a community order after 180 indecent images and movies of children were found on his computer.
Stephanie Hancock, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court that in June 2011 a legitimate website was hacked into and indecent images were uploaded on to it.
It was only active for 57 hours but in that time 3,500 different users from the UK logged in to it. Gloucester police traced the individual IP addresses and in February this year local officers went to Russell Cutts address in Whitehill Drive, Halifax.
Two computers were seized on which 137 still images and 43 movies were discovered the vast majority in the lowest category of seriousness but involving girls ranging from about six to 13. Specific search terms had been used to find such images.
When interviewed in April this year Cutts said his search was motivated by curiosity rather than any sexual gratification.
Cutts, 50, admitted 11 charges of making indecent images and was given a three year community order with a high intensity activity requirement. He must register as a sex offender for five years.
Judge James Spencer QC said: “You have not been in trouble before but you decided, for whatever reason be it curiosity or something else, to make a determined effort to find this child pornography on the internet.”
He said it was clear from the pre-sentence report Cutts did not really understand his criminality which the probation service would now help him appreciate.
The judge added: “Those who watched such images gave the suppliers a financial motive for profit to abuse the children depicted. Those children are the ones who suffer as long as there are people like you prepared to look at them.”
