OAP jailed over child porn offences

A 74-YEAR-OLD man who distributed videos of children as young as four being sexually abused is behind bars.

Peter Whitehouse was caught with more than 3,000 indecent images and videos, which have been described by a judge as “disgusting”.

Sentencing Whitehouse to two years in prison, Judge Peter Thompson said: “What's most serious to me is that you sent 334 images to other people and they included movies which are more telling because they show children's activities.

“What is most shocking to the public is that children as young as four are being seen sexually abused. Some of those I have had to see involve pain being inflicted on children.”

Whitehouse, of The Downs, Felixstowe, admitted possessing 3,364 images and videos at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday.

He also pleaded guilty to 16 counts of making indecent images, four counts of distributing indecent images and one count of taking indecent images.

Judge Thompson said Whitehouse had fuelled the child pornography business by distributing the images to other people.

He added: “You distributed level four and level five images which are the most disgusting and that makes you subject to a higher degree of seriousness.

“The involvement of others means the people who make the images have incentive to abuse children further. It generates the need for others to abuse in very unpleasant ways. You're in far too serious a stage to consider anything other than a prison sentence.”

Judge Thompson reduced the potential sentence because of Whitehouse's age, saying he would not find prison easy.

He said: “You have apparently lived a blameless life and I have noted that you are 74-years-old. If you had been younger it (the sentence) would have been longer.”

Whitehouse was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register, made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order and was disqualified from ever working with children.

An order was also given to destroy Whitehouse's computer equipment, the images and video.