A Glazebury man was found by police to have amassed more than 50,000 indecent images of children on computers at his home.
Simon Dean, who had collected the appalling images over a ten year period, told officers it had been “a moment of madness”.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today (Tue) that officers from the National Crime Agency called at his home in Hurst Mill Lane with a search warrant on January 14 last year.
When he was told why they were there 59-year-old Dean said, “Ok I admit it, I’m going to have to come clean aren’t I?”
Rebecca Smith, prosecuting, said the defendant showed them his electronic devices which contained indecent images of children. On his way to a police station Dean said, “It was just a moment of madness.”
A total of 13 computers, laptops, phones and hard drives were seized with three of them containing indecent images. These involved 51,532 images and videos of children aged as young as five and a total of 3,188 were in the most serious category.
Miss Smith said that his internet history revealed searches going back ten years. The investigation also found Microsoft Word documents entitled “The Compassionate Paedophile” and “Baby Sitting Kristen”.
Dean pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images, three offences of making indecent images and possessing prohibited images.
Defence barrister, Rebecca Penfold, told the court,“It is clear that work needs to be done to deal with the risk this defendant poses. That would best protect the public, dealing with his rehabilitation and offering punishment to this defendant.”
She said that Dean, who has no previous convictions, had not re-offended and is capable of being rehabilitated.
Judge David Aubrey KC adjourned sentence until next month for the probation service to consider his suitability for the Horizon sex offenders treatment programme. Dean was further remanded on bail.
