February 2017 Telford pensioner avoids jail over child images A Telford pensioner admitted making more than 2,500 indecent images of children. But he was spared immediate jail after telling a court he had been accessing pornography because of his depression. Peter Evans, 67, had previously admitted five charges after police carried out a search warrant at his home. Shrewsbury Crown Court was told Evans, of Elms Court, Admaston, Telford, had been suffering from depression after his marriage broke down and he had been accessing pornography of all kinds to alleviate his problems. Prosecuting, Dafydd Roberts said: “Computer items were seized and examined and there were four in particular that brought the offences to light. “One is a desktop computer with 1,154 indecent images, another desktop computer had 1,089 images, a laptop had four images then an external hard drive had 262 indecent images. A total of 320 were in category A, 242 in category B and 1,963 in category C. Evans admitted three charges of making indecent images of children, one of possessing an extreme pornographic image and one charge of possessing a prohibited image of a child. Sentencing Evans to 12 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, Judge Jim Tindal said: “It is not unusual to sentence men who have committed your offence. “What is unusual is sentencing someone in their late 60s who has lived his entire live never being in trouble with the police and worked hard and I am sure contributed to the community. “Every time someone like you clicks on an image like this of a child, you are fuelling the trade in the abuse of children all over the world.” Evans was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and will have to sign the sex offenders’ register for five years. He was also ordered to pay costs of £150. January 2017 Telford pensioner had 2,500 child sex images on his computer A Telford pensioner was found to have more than 2,500 indecent images of children on his computer after police raided his home, a court heard Peter Evans’ home was searched by police after information was received in Operation Safenet, a police operation which targets suspected paedophiles operating online, Telford Magistrates Court heard. Mr Adam Warner, prosecuting, said there were a large number of indecent images which were recovered on various pieces of hardware at the 67-year-old’s address in Elmscourt, Admaston. Officers from West Mercia Police swooped on his home when they obtained a search warrant after receiving information about his activities. Mr Warner said: “He’s always said that he was guilty of the offence.” Evans appeared at Telford Magistrates Court wearing a black jacket and jeans. He spoke only to confirm his name, address, date of birth and to plead guilty to five separate charges which date back to between October 2011 and April last year He admitted three charges of making indecent images of children. The court heard there were 1,963 category C images, 242 category B images and 320 category A images. He also admitted one charge of possessing six extreme pornographic images involving animals and one count of possessing seven prohibited images of a child. Mr Warner said magistrates had insufficient powers to sentence Evans and requested that the case should be sent to Shrewsbury Crown Court. Magistrates adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report to be prepared, and committed the case to Shrewsbury Crown Court, where Evans will be sentenced at a later date. He was given unconditional bail.