ASHINGTON MAN JAILED FOR POSSESSING OVER 6,000 CHILD ABUSE IMAGES
A pervert was found to have accumulated over 6,000 sexual images and videos of children across 48 electronic devices.Hedley Watson, aged 59, has been discovered to have stored this vile collection, which includes children as young as five, over a span of nearly 18 years at his homes in Northumberland and Cumbria.The court heard that the collection contained more than 2,000 images and videos classified as category A, which are the most serious and involve penetrative sexual activity.Watson, of Essex Close in Ashington, faces imprisonment after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of a child and a single count of possessing a prohibited image of a child.
Police seized his electronic devices in October 2023, revealing the extent of his depravity.
Prosecutor Holly Clegg stated that the images were amassed between June 2, 2005, and October 31, 2023, spanning his residences in Egremont, Cumbria, and Ashington.
The total number of images and videos found was 6,556.The court was told that the youngest children depicted were five years old, with the images and videos including children aged between five and 17.
It was noted that the starting point for such offences involving a category A image is a custodial sentences of 12 months.
Watson is scheduled to appear at Newcastle Crown Court for sentencing on June 12, and until then, he is required to sign the Sex Offenders' Register and report to his nearest police station.Mitigating for Watson, Nigel Hedley, said, "Nothing to add."
