Norwich man admits watching torture videos of toddlers

Investigations involving undercover officers led to the door of Hugh Gardiner, 43, who has admitted possessing dozens of indecent images of children.

Norwich Magistrates’ Court was told police investigating online activities of paedophiles discovered images being shared by an anonymous user on a group site called ‘Share Whatever Gets You Off’.

The IP address linked to the online profile was subsequently traced to the home of Gardiner, a registered sex offender. 

Sarah Fiddy, prosecuting, said a search of his flat in a converted semi detached house saw a number of electronic devices being seized.

Analysis of them found both sexual images and videos involving children.

Online undercover investigations led police to a flat on Thorpe Road in Norwich (Image: Google)

Gardiner, of Thorpe Road, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and one of distributing child porn.  

The court was told the charges related to 16 still images and videos of Category A  - the most serious. He also admitted 11 Category B and 30 Category C images and the distribution of four photos.

“The images were bad enough but some of the Category A material involved the torture of children as young as 12-months,” said Ms Fiddy.

READ MORE: Jail for Mattishall father-of-two who downloaded indecent child images

Magistrates told Gardiner the offences were too serious for their sentencing powers.

Maya Lal, defending, did not oppose the application for his case to be committed to Norwich Crown Court to be heard on a date not yet set. 

The father-of-two was previously jailed for 26 months in 2017 and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years after admitting the making and distributing of indecent images of children.

Then living at Mattishall, near Dereham, more than 150 images and videos were found on a laptop traced to an address he also used in Colchester.