March 2017 Sex offender caught with 2,700 child abuse images spared jail to tackle his ‘deviance’ A sex offender who had more than 2,700 child abuse images has been allowed to keep his freedom so he can tackle his “deviance”. Michael Tomkins had a collection of illegal pictures of boys and girls between 18 months and 16 years old on his two computers and iPhone. “It was me,” the 25-year-old confessed when police inquired at his home on Connaught Road, West Lane, Middlesbrough about images downloaded from the internet. Officers found 2,726 child abuse images including films, one of which lasted more than an hour, on his computer equipment, Teesside Crown Court heard today. There were 595 pictures at the most serious level of children aged 10 to 15, some of children bound with rope while being abused. He admitted three offences of making indecent photographs of children between March 2008 and September 2015 and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image – his first crimes. He still denied having any sexual interest in children and claimed he acted out of curiosity. A probation report said he minimised his actions. Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, told Tomkins his crimes were not victimless: “There are a large number of victims. The victims are those children who are portrayed in the still and moving images because they are forced to carry out those acts. “They are forced into that because there is a market, sadly, for such images, for people like you. “The moving images are graphic and prolonged.” He said there was no evidence Tomkins wanted to carry out such child abuse himself. But he expressed concern at Tomkins’ “complete failure – and this is a common thread in such cases – by you to accept and acknowledge your deviance”. “You deny any sexual interest in male children,” added the judge. “You say quite falsely that you were getting these images out of curiosity. That is quite wrong.” He agreed with the defence and probation officer that the public was served by a treatment programme which would monitor Tomkins. Tomkins was given a one-year jail term suspended for two years with a sex offender treatment programme, 35 days’ rehabilitation activity, a six-month tagged curfew and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. February 2017 Man awaits fate after he admits having 2,700 child abuse images A man is waiting to learn his fate after he admitted having more than 2,700 child abuse images. Michael Tomkins, 25, pleaded guilty to four charges at Teesside Crown Court . He admitted three offences of making indecent photographs of children between March 2008 and September 2015. These were a total of 2,726 pictures, including 595 at the most serious level in law. He also admitted one offence of possessing an extreme pornographic image “of grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of obscene character”, on June 10, 2015. He was a working man of previous good character, the court heard. Judge Sean Morris bailed him until sentencing on March 10. He told the defendant: “I will adjourn for a pre-sentence report. “Don’t read into that that it’s any indication of sentence. All options are open including going away. It’ll be up to the judge on the day.” Tomkins, of Connaught Road, Middlesbrough , will be on the sex offenders’ register as a result of his conviction.