'You're a marked man' - Telford child porn pervert's jail warning after images found
A "perverted" man who had indecent images of children on his devices has been warned he faces jail if he offends again.
Police seized a laptop and phone from the home of Benjamin Lawrence in Gregson Walk, Dawley, Telford, and found images including one Category A - considered to contain the most depraved level of child sexual abuse - as well as two Category B and 46 Category C. Another 250 Category C images were inaccessible.
Officers swooped on the 37-year-old's home on February 23 last year. Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that Lawrence was at home with his partner at the time, but when police arrived he went into the garden and "disappeared" into his car. His phone and laptop were seized and he was detained under the Mental Health Act.
He was then arrested by police and a search of his laptop was conducted.
Lawrence admitted three charges of possession of indecent images and one charge of possession of indecent images with intent to distribute them.
Recorder Mr Anthony Hawks sentenced Lawrence to a two-year community order and a five-year sexual harm prevention order. Lawrence will also be on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.
He told Lawrence: "Anyone listening to this case would not accept that you are a person of good character. It is plain from the offences which I have to sentence you for, you have a perverted interest in looking at images of children.
"It is no defence or mitigation to say that the images were out there and you just chose to look at them, or that you didn't make them. If there wasn't a market for filth of this sort, it might not exist.
"The creation of these images involved untold harm to young, vulnerable children. The responsibility is just as much in your hands as it is in the hands of of the people that make these vile images in the first place.
"You are going to have to understand that if you do anything like this in the future, you are going to be sent to prison. You are a marked man. You're on the radar."
He said that Lawrence may find probation service meetings to find out why he committed the offences "rather uncomfortable", and added: "I hope you do."
