February 2015 MAN who owned up to fears that he poses a threat to young girls has received a mental health hospital order Stephen Victor Barry, 47, admitted 17 charges relating to the downloading and storage of indecent images of children at Durham Crown Court, last April. It related to a total of 132 still images, mostly in the first and most serious category of three categories of severity for such material. The court heard Barry initially came to the attention of police as part of an investigation into data discovered on suspicious websites by the Metropolitan force, in 2007. It led to his home, at the time, in Derbyshire, being searched and two lap-top computers being seized before its contents were searched. Chris Baker, prosecuting, said the indecent images and others featuring extreme animal pornography were recovered from one of the lap-tops. But Mr Baker said, due to “human error” and the pressures of a backlog in such cases, Barry was not arrested and interviewed at the time by Derbyshire Police. Judge Christopher Prince said assurances have been given that the situation will be improved and full appraisals of the system will be carried out in future. Mr Baker said Durham Police became involved when Barry moved to the Chester-le-Street area. Due to fears over a risk of self harming he came to the attention of medical professionals and made disclosures which were passed on to police over an “interest in children”. Mr Baker said he feared that, after drinking alcohol, he would leave his accommodation and go to commit sexual offences. “He was very candid in interview and accepted downloading the images onto his lap-top at his ex-family home in Derbyshire. “He said he would look for indecent images of females aged six to eight, which he said made him sexually aroused, on a daily basis.” Mr Baker said Barry even named one young girl with whom he had a “fixation”. Barry, who until recently was resident at West Park Hospital, in Darlington, was said to have 33 convictions for 67 offences, including one for indecent exposure at a bus stop, in 2010. The court heard medical and psychiatric reports indicated Barry has an organic personality disorder, a classified mental health disorder. Judge Prince said: “I can never recall any defendant who has made such determined efforts to approach the health service to raise the fact he was sexually preoccupied with children. “Coupled with alcohol misuse, it leads to concerns.” Judge Prince imposed the mental health order which requires the defendant to remain in the care of the psychiatric service, until further order.