GRIMSBY OFFENDER ANDREW WATERS CONVICTED FOR CHILD INDECENT IMAGES

GRIMSBY OFFENDER ANDREW WATERS CONVICTED FOR CHILD INDECENT IMAGES

In October 2018, a disturbing case involving two individuals from Grimsby, Andrew Waters and Christopher Hodds, came before the court, revealing the extent of their involvement in the possession and distribution of indecent images of children.

Andrew Waters, aged 55 and formerly residing on Abbey Road in Grimsby, pleaded guilty to three separate charges related to the creation and possession of such illicit material.

Authorities executed a search warrant at his residence, uncovering a troubling collection of images stored across multiple devices, including a tablet, a laptop, and a computer.

These images were downloaded over a period spanning from October 2015 to September of the previous year.

Specifically, three indecent images of children were located on Waters' tablet, while a staggering 307 images, along with one video, were found on his other devices.

The investigation revealed that Waters had engaged in deliberate and systematic searches for child exploitation material, with the youngest child depicted being only two years old.

It was also established that Waters had utilized the Dark Web to access and download these illegal images.

Despite his involvement in these serious offences, Waters was described as having no prior convictions and was about to retire from his career as a mechanical engineer at British Steel.

He had been married for 25 years, and his case resulted in a sentence of a 10-month prison term suspended for 12 months, along with a requirement to complete 25 days of rehabilitation.

Additionally, Waters was subjected to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, which restricts his activities and contact, and he is mandated to register as a sex offender for a decade.

The court also ordered him to pay costs amounting to £340.