August 2015 Pervert admits having indecent images of children A Paddock man has been given a suspended prison sentence after police found indecent images of children on his computer equipment. Louise Pryke prosecuting told Leeds Crown Court yesterday that officers executed a search warrant at the home of Ashley Kennedy on November 21 last year acting on information from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.  That information was that Kennedy had uploaded an indecent video on to Instagram. A laptop and memory stick were seized and when they were analysed 173 images at the most serious level Category A were found, as well as 124 images at Category B and 378 at Category C. Miss Pryke said 15 Category A movies were also found. The images included very young children being abused. Andrew Semple, representing Kennedy, said he had been very open with a probation officer expressing his shame and remorse for what he had done. He had found easy access to such illicit areas on the internet and at the time while downloading had felt a long way removed from the end of the chain not really appreciating the seriousness of what was happening, although he did not like the movies because “they seemed too real.” He added: “This has been a salutary lesson.” He suggested Kennedy would benefit from the sex offender treatment programme and that would enable him to remain in the community where he supported his mother who had health problems while benefiting society in the long term by helping him through his problems. Kennedy, 24, of Longwood Road, Paddock, admitted six charges of possessing indecent images and was given an eight month prison sentence suspended for two years with supervision and a 60 day activity programme. Recorder Paul Miller told him: “Until relatively recently you were a young man of good character until you developed this deviant interest over the course of last year in indecent images of children. “Some of the most appalling kind were discovered on your computer last November. The author of the pre-sentence report has spent a good deal of time with you and is impressed you now recognise how these offences lead to others abusing these children for the benefit of those who look at the images.” But he said it was important to ensure Kennedy never repeated what he had done and the best way of ensuring that was to enable him to have therapy under the treatment programme proposed.