TERENCE ROBERTS FROM SUNDERLAND SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN SHOCKING CASE
A 71-year-old man from Sunderland, identified as Terence Roberts, has been found guilty of possessing a vast collection of indecent images depicting children.The disturbing discovery was made when police officers conducted a search at his residence in Hewitt Avenue, Sunderland, in July 2020.
During the search, authorities seized two mobile phones belonging to Roberts, along with a cloud storage account that contained illicit material.
The police investigation revealed that Roberts had accumulated over 1,000 images and videos of children being abused.
The content was categorized into different levels of severity, with authorities identifying 291 images classified as Category A, which included 96 videos.
Additionally, there were 214 images in Category B, with 24 videos, and a further 560 images in Category C.
The disturbing material depicted children ranging in age from just one year old up to 15 years old, highlighting the severity and depravity of the content.
Prosecutor Joe Culley outlined the details during the court proceedings at Newcastle Crown Court, stating, "There were 291 category A images including 96 moving images, 214 category B images including 24 videos, and 560 category C images.
The material depicts children between the ages of one to 15 years old." Roberts, who resides on Hewitt Avenue in Sunderland, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
He also admitted to possessing a prohibited image of a child and an extreme pornographic image.
When questioned by police on July 8, 2020, Roberts acknowledged owning the images and admitted to sharing and distributing them via social media platforms, although he was not charged with distribution.
It was revealed that Roberts had been involved in such offending behavior since April 2017.
The police investigation spanned over three years before culminating in the search of his home.
Despite the long duration, Roberts has no prior criminal convictions.
Defense lawyer Vic Laffey addressed the court, emphasizing the impact of the case on Roberts.
Laffey stated, "As with all these cases, it's a very unattractive case.
These offences are nearly two years old, and I'm not completely sure how it's taken that long for them to get into the court system.
He pleaded guilty at the Magistrates Court at the first opportunity and was fully cooperative with the police during the interview.
He fully understands the position he's placed himself in.
It's had a dramatic effect on him, and he is more than willing to work with the probation service." Judge Stephen Earl considered the circumstances and the efforts of probation to rehabilitate Roberts.
He acknowledged the importance of ongoing work and the potential for rehabilitation outside of custody.
Ultimately, Roberts was sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years.
The sentence also includes requirements for rehabilitation, a four-month curfew, and the imposition of a sexual harm prevention order.
Additionally, Roberts is mandated to register as a sex offender for the next ten years, along with signing the sex offender's register, which will also last for a decade.
