November 2019 Paedophile who built up bank of sick pictures over 12 years is spared jail A pharmacist who spent 12 years building an online library of child sexual abuse images and violent rape fantasies about the date-rape drug Rohypnol and his colleagues has avoided jail Richard Brierley, 48,  of Romiley, Stockport saved images of children aged as young as seven and snapped secret pictures of co-workers, writing chilling descriptions of raping and torturing them. Officers who raided his home in 2017 also discovered a video of the devout churchgoer carrying out a sex act while looking at a photo of a colleague, as well as pictures of children as they played at school and a list of children in year eight at a local school. Appearing at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, Brierley admitted 19 charges of making indecent photographs of children between 2005 and 2017 and one of distributing photographs. However, he escaped with two years jail suspended for two years after claiming he had been left a recluse when he was the victim of an abduction and kidnapping in 1994. Prosecutor Miss Lisa Boocock said: ‘When police arrived at his address the defendant immediately indicated the devices on which material was stored. ‘Across the devices the range of images showed an age range of children starting at seven years going up to about 15 years. Also on the devices was worrying content and it is clear the defendant had been taking covert images of work colleagues. ‘Accompanying those was detailed description of exactly of what sex acts the defendant desired of those colleagues, comments about Rohypnol – he worked at a pharmacy – comments about abduction and rape of colleagues and fantasy about torture as well. ‘There was a video of him carrying out a sex act whilst looking at a picture of a work colleague plus covert images of children in a school and a list of children who attended at a local school in year eight. ‘The defendant was interviewed, and he accepted during that interview that he had a sexual interest in children and needed help.’ Brierley was ordered to get treatment in a Sex Offender programme and sign the Sex Offender Register for ten years. His laptop, tablet and various other devices were seized and a total of 177 still or moving images were found – 142 of them of the most serious Category A pictures. While sentencing, Judge Angela Nield told Brierley that his ‘personal tragedy’ appeared to be the ‘root of his offending behaviour’, but said punishment was needed to ‘send a warning message’ to others.