April 2021 Paedophile jailed for ‘grotesque’ child abuse image offences A paedophile has been jailed for downloading some of the worst images of child abuse encountered by the courts. David Finch was arrested after police searched his old address in Paxman Avenue, Colchester, on June 27, 2019. Officers found a Dell laptop and Samsung tablet containing 8,335 indecent images and videos, including 528 unique images in the most serious ‘A’ category, 1060 unique category B images and 5,499 unique category C images. The 39-year-old appeared at Ipswich Crown Court for sentencing on Monday, having admitted three counts of making indecent images of children before magistrates in Colchester on March 16. Prosecutor Joanne Eley said a large number of images were kept in named folders and included the abuse of babies and toddlers.  Miss Eley said a total of 78,948 files remained uncategorised, adding: “It’s fair to say, if every image was graded, the total number would be at least doubled.” A further 5,000 files were graded ‘unconfirmed’ – or deemed indecent by one police force, but yet to undergo assessment required by two other forces before being added to the police database. Miss Eley said examination of peer-to-peer software on Finch’s laptop found indecent search term entries dating back to 2017, while indicative search terms were also found on an Xbox and a Samsung laptop inside the property. Judge Rupert Overbury told Finch: “This has probably just scratched the surface of what you were up to over a number of years. “The images are amongst the worst this court encounters. How anyone can get any pleasure out of seeing that defies logic.” Finch was jailed for 14 months, made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and will have to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years. March 2021 Colchester paedophile had more than 7k indecent images of children A pervert who downloaded a haul of thousands of indecent pictures of children was found to have viewed the worst category of images depicting the sexual abuse of babies. David Finch, 38, was arrested after an Essex Police online investigations team raided his Colchester home in June 2019. Laura McLeod, prosecuting at Colchester Magistrates’ Court, said officers seized a number of electronic devices and carried out a forensic examination. She said: “But in essence, a number of these are pre-pubescent children, including babies – at category A the crown would say it is clearly not suitable for this court. “The starting point in relation to category A images is one year in custody.” Finch, of Paxman Avenue, Colchester, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children. The charges related to 751 images at category A, 1,451 pictures at category B and 5,883 images at category C. The court heard Finch had co-operated fully with the police investigation, attending the police station for a voluntary interview under caution. Magistrates were told he also submitted to a polygraph test. Magistrates declined jurisdiction of the case and ordered a pre-sentence report be carried out. A sentencing hearing will be held at Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday, April 13. Finch was released on unconditional bail until the hearing, remaining subject to notification requirements which will keep the police informed of his whereabouts.