Yahoo News Paedophile who avoided prison despite having two MILLION child abuse images finally jailed after downloading even more
A paedophile who avoided prison despite being found with two MILLION child abuse images has finally been jailed after he was found with more.
Edward Brooks was handed a two-year suspended sentence in 2017, prompting a judge to criticise sentencing guidelines that meant he had to choose between a jail term or rehabilitation.
Brooks has now been jailed for 23 months after admitting downloading hundreds more indecent images of children while serving the suspended sentence.
The 52-year-old, of Minehead in Somerset, appeared at Taunton Crown Court charged with making 637 indecent photographs of children between February and March 2018 and was jailed for 23 months – four months for his latest offence and the 19-month suspended sentence from his last conviction.
Brooks previously appeared in court in 2017 after police found a stash of more than two million child abuse images and videos hidden on hard drives in a cavity wall the previous year.
While he was on bail awaiting trial Brooks downloaded a further 2,231 sexual photos and videos of girls aged between eight and 16.
At the time Judge David Ticehurt said he wanted to jail Brooks and put him on a rehabilitation programme after release – but couldn’t do both.
Speaking at the time, he said of the two-year jail term he could impose: “I wish I could make it longer.”
READ MORE
Sally Challen pleads guilty to manslaughter in ‘coercive control’ hammer attack case
Car parks most common places for parked vehicles to be hit – survey
Hiding in plain sight – drab London secret spy base revealed after 66 years
Speaking after the latest case, which has finally seen Brooks put behind bars, an NSPCC spokesperson said: “Behind Edward Brooks’ sickening collection of images and videos are countless children that will have suffered harrowing, traumatic and life changing abuse.
“He has rightly been sent to prison from where he must be made to undertake an intensive programme of rehabilitation.
“The scale of Brooks’ offending also highlights how big this twisted industry has become and the necessity for the authorities and the tech companies to work in unison to disrupt and ultimately destroy the networks that make and share this terrible content.”
