A St Albans man who was caught with 71 child sex abuse images on his iPhone and computer was given a suspended jail sentence today (Friday June 10).
Peter Martindill, 39, sought help from a psychiatrist and the Lucy Faithfull Foundation charity, following his arrest in December 2018.
Prosecutor Nicola Roberson told St Albans Crown Court 22 of the images were at Category A, the most serious level.
When questioned he made a full and frank confession, said Ms Roberson.
Martindill, who works in IT, appeared for sentence having pleaded guilty at the magistrate’s court to three charges of making (downloading) indecent images of children and one of possessing a prohibited image of a child and one of possessing extreme pornography.
Defending, Alex Kettle-Williams said he had no previous convictions. The police investigation showed he had not accessed the images in the 6 months before the police raid.
She said he was going through a divorce and had worked with a psychologist and the Lucy Faithful foundation, a charity that aims to combat child abuse images.
Judge Richard Foster told him: “The biggest punishment is the shame you brought on yourself and the loss of your good character. Accessing this material creates market for horrendous sexual abuse.”
He passed a six-month jail sentence suspended for 24 months.
Martindill must attend the Horizon treatment programme, attend 10 Rehabilitation Activity Days, complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £425 costs.
He must register as a sex offender and abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order for seven years.
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