Man denies being a paedophile despite collecting child sex abuse pictures for nearly 12 years - including babies and kids in pain and 'visibly upset'

He also had a shotgun he had no licence for and 20 cartridges.

Shrewsbury Crown Court was told that Charles was busted on May 31, 2023 after West Mercia Police received intelligence that someone had been accessing indecent material at his address.

“He was co-operative with police,” said Danny Smith, prosecuting, who added that officers seized a Samsung mobile phone as well as other devices.

Forensic examination found that Charles had 366 category A indecent images - the most serious and depraved level of child sex abuse - as well as 1,162 of category B and 113 category C.

The images were of children aged between one and 17 and included children being raped, in pain and “visibily upset”.

Mr Smith said that analysis discovered Charles had engaged in conversations “of a disturbing nature”, including about “killing and torturing” animals.

He also had 212 extreme porn images depicting people having sex with cows and other animals.

Charles accumulated the collection from August 2011 to May 2023.

Police also seized a .410 calibre shotgun and ammunition.

Charles, of Woodhill Road, Highley, near Bridgnorth, was arrested by police and provided a “no comment” interview.

However, he later pleaded guilty in court to three counts of making indecent images of children, one of possessing extreme pornographic images, one of possessing a firearm without a certificate and one of possessing ammunition without a certificate. He has no previous convictions.

Booze, crack cocaine and "the dark side of the net"

Rosemary Proctor, mitigating, said Charles is a “vulnerable man” who “leads a lonely and isolated life”.

She said: “He doesn’t accept he is sexually attracted to children,” however added that he has been doing a course with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a charity which aims to divert paedophiles away from offending behaviour.

“The court may take that as tacit acceptance,” Miss Proctor added.

She added that Charles injured his back a few years ago, meaning he had to stop work. She said he started drinking more and using crack cocaine, and that led him to “the dark side of the net”.

It was said that the shotgun was given to Charles by his grandfather and he forgot to renew the licence.

Judge Anthony Lowe told Charles: “The definition of these charges is ‘indecent images’.

“It may well be that one day the offence will be changed to what it really is - viewing child sexual abuse.

“That is what you are looking at. I don’t think ‘indecent images’ really brings the gravity of that.

“This is not fiction. These are real children who, somewhere, are being horribly, sexually abused.

“Only you know whether you have a sexual interest in children. If you do, there is no miracle cure. It is something in your psyche.”

The judge handed Charles an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He ordered Charles to do 15 rehabilitation activity days, which will include the “maps for change” sex offenders programme, and made him subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

Charles must sign onto the sex offenders register at his local police station for the next 10 years.