February 2021 Pervert will be punished with ‘isolation’ after amassing thousands of vile child abuse images A judge told a pervert who amassed thousands of images of children being sexually abused he would be punished with “isolation”. Mark Horne avoided an immediate jail sentence after pleading guilty to five charges relating to making and the possession of indecent images of children. The judge in the case, Recorder Richard Woolfall said Horne would likely cause him to be “shunned by friends and family”. And he suspended a two-year jail sentence, stating he believed the risk of Horne offending again was “minimal at its highest”. Teesside Crown Court heard how, in July 2019, police executed a warrant at Horne’s home in Harwell Road in Redcar after being alerted by the National Crime Agency. A search of his computer uncovered 86 images of the worst category, 88 category B and 14,305 class C images. It showed he had been viewing the revolting content for the previous seven years. The court heard a number of the images showed children in pain and distress Almost all the victims were little girls aged seven to nine but some were as young as four. Recorder Woolfall told him: “People like you fuel the appetite of others to abuse children. “You have now lost your good character and, no doubt, those who know you will become aware of your convictions and this will lead to your isolation and lead to you being shunned by friends and family. “That in itself is punishment.” Horne, 56, of Harwell Road in Redcar, was given an 18-month jail sentence, suspended for two years and he must carry out 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He must also pay £540 and was made the subject of a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. “I think this appearance at this age is going to be last time you present yourself in court,” the judge told him.