TIPTON MAN CAUGHT WITH OVER 800 INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN RECEIVES SUSPENDED SENTENCE

A 'loner' who was caught with a secret collection of vile child abuse footage after 'struggling' during the Coronavirus lockdown has walked free from court. Sex offender Grenville Toft accessed more than 800 indecent images of children, with some as young as four being abused. The 65-year-old turned to the sickening content after becoming 'isolated' and finding it 'particularly difficult' during Covid. An investigation revealed he had scoured online for the illicit material, using search terms relating to boys. But the convict later insisted he was not a paedophile and instead claimed he had become 'desensitised' to the sex abuse.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how police executed a warrant at Toft's home in Tipton in April 2023 because an IP address linked to the property was used to access indecent images. Toft let police into his home but 'denied any knowledge of this', prosecutor Francesca Perera said. Officers seized his devices including a laptop tower, hard drive, and LG mobile phone. A total of 818 indecent images of children were uncovered, with police finding 'keyword searches' made by Toft. During a voluntary police interview, Toft said he 'heard about this 10 years ago when accessing adult' material, which also included indecent images of children. Initially, he was 'disgusted' and would delete the material, but during Covid, he 'struggled with a lack of contact' and accessed indecent images. The sex offender claimed he was not sexually attracted to children and had become 'desensitised'. The court heard he used software to 'wipe devices' and had no previous convictions. His lawyer said Toft is 'ashamed' and 'remorseful', and has sought NHS help for his mental health, feeling suicidal after his arrest. The judge sentenced him to a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, with 45 days of rehab and 150 hours of unpaid work. Additionally, Toft is subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must remain on the sex offenders register for a decade. The judge emphasized the severity of the images, stating: "These are not actors. These are not happy children - these are abused children who will grow up heavily damaged because of what happened to them. If there were not people at the consumer end, consuming the indecent images, there would be no market." He also noted Toft's online activity was 'set up for this sort of activity' and he had a 'tribe of like-minded people' indulging in similar offenses. The court described Toft as a 'loner' and stated that the Covid period had been 'particularly difficult' for him, as he became increasingly isolated. He had been viewing indecent images for about eight years and 'lost control' of himself.