47 year old man caught with Child Pornography

    A 47 year old man from Bradford who was caught with child pornography has been reprimanded by the judge who spared him a prison sentence.

    Stephen Harding of Clayton Road, had still and moving images of children on two hard drives, as well as pornography involving adults, dogs and horses.

     

    Prosecutor Rebecca Young told the court that some of the moving images featured girls around 11 to 12 years of age. Stephen claimed in police interview to have simply been searching for older teenagers and adult pornography, and accidentally came across these.

    Police searched Harding's home in March last year after receiving a tip-off that indecent images were available for sharing.

     

    Stephen Harding had pleaded guilty to the offences at a hearing at Bradford Magistrates Court on the 24th of January.

     

    Judge Rose said to Harding: "You have searched for this particular imagery, in both still and moving images, of children involved in sexual activity and of adults engaging in sexual activity with animals. Even though you have protested your innocence to the police, I do not accept that you do not have these interests. It is time for you to realise that you have this unhealthy, unlawful and wholly inappropriate sexual interest. You must admit such a dreadful thing and ensure you do not appear in this court again."

    Judge Rose sentenced Harding a six-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered him to do 150 hours of unpaid work. Harding will be placed on the sex offenders' register for seven years and was also made the subject of a 30-day rehabilitation activity order.

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