July 2017 Convicted abuser found with child rape images told police he had given up ‘like I gave up smoking’ A convicted sex offender who was caught with child rape images told police he had given up his interest in children ‘like I gave up smoking’. Martin Cope, aged 59, has six previous convictions for indecency or exposure and was on the sex offenders register when he scoured the internet for images and movies of girls as young as six being abused. Police found a laptop in his bed on which he had downloaded titles such as ‘You’re watching a six-year-old strip’ and ‘Webcam mum fondles her toddler’. One movie showed a six-year-old girl being raped by an adult man and images showed children of the same age naked. Cope, of Totnes Road, Paignton, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children and was ordered to attend a sex offenders’ treatment programme by Recorder Mr Martin Meeke, QC at Exeter Crown Court. He told him the offence and his background justified a one year jail sentence but that the course offered a better chance of preventing reoffending. He made a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which restricts Cope’s access to children and allows the police to monitor his online activity for the next five years. Mr Gareth Evans, prosecuting, said police searched Cope’s home on December 8 last year and found a laptop which had been used to download images, which were later deleted. They were recovered using specialist software and 44 images and one movie were found to be of the worst category A, 48 images and one movie at B and 172 images in the lowest category C. Search terms and the internet history showed he had viewed images showing serious abuse of girls aged around six. Cope told police he had given up his sexual interest in children as a result of his last jail sentence. Mr Evans said:”He claimed to have changed his thinking and had given up his sexual interest in children in the same way as he gave up smoking.” June 2017 Man admits downloading child abuse images A judge has ordered a probation pre-sentence report on a man who has admitted downloading child abuse images. Martin Cope, aged 59, of Blatchcombe, Paignton, admitted possessing indecent images of children and his sentence at Exeter Crown Court was adjourned by Recorder Mr Ignatius Hughes, QC. He ordered a full pre-sentence report and released Cope on bail. He said:”I need to know more about you before I pass sentence.”