Jail for convicted offender who downloaded indecent images

Stephen Tweed, 68, who has previous convictions for downloading indecent images of children, had only been released from a previous prison sentence a few weeks before he was caught again.

King's Lynn Crown Court heard Tweed was visited by police and public protection officers  on May 4 last year.

King's Lynn Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)Ian James, prosecuting, said they found a USB stick containing more than 600 indecent images - including 434 Category A (the most serious) and 170 videos of which almost 70 of which were also Category A.

The court heard the material found after they visited Tweed's address in Lynn included male and female children between six and 13 being assaulted by adult men.

Mr James said Tweed gave officers the stick and told them he used it to download material but added "if stuff is on it that shouldn't be, I'm sorry".

Tweed was arrested and when interviewed told police he had been using peer to peer sharing software online for about a month and "sometimes the wrong stuff is downloaded".

Tweed, currently of HMP Norwich, but formerly of Samphire in Gaywood appeared at court on October 3 for sentence.

Stephen Tweed (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

He previously admitted three counts of making indecent images of children and one offence of possession of prohibited images of children.

Jailing him for 18 months, Recorder Paul Garlick said Tweed was "no stranger to the courts" having had serious previous convictions for similar offences.

He said the material found on Tweed's device was "very, very serious".

Charlie Myatt, mitigating, said Tweed had been downloading "significant quantities of all sorts of material using peer to peer sharing".

He said Tweed would set it running when he went to bed so it would be downloading overnight and then delete anything he was not interested in.

He said he had "deleted the majority of it".

My Myatt said Tweed deserved some credit for his pleas.

Tweed was put on the sex offenders register for 10 years and is already the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, known as a SHPO.