A WINDERMERE man who appeared to be living “a perfectly normal and respectable” life was secretly looking at images of children being sexually abused, a court heard.

62-year-old Stephen Crawford downloaded more than 1,200 indecent child images for his own sexual gratification, it was said.

The defendant, of Tower Wood, Windermere, admitted having a total of 1,261 indecent child images, 503 of which were the most serious Category A.

There were 240 Category B images and 528 Category C images, considered the least serious kind of child abuse image. At Carlisle Crown Court, Recorder Mark Ainsworth passed a sentence.

He told the defendant: “You are 62, married, and you have grandchildren. Ostensibly, you were living a perfectly normal, respectable life and you were a man of good character.”

But, away from the public gaze, the defendant was using the internet in a way that led to him committing serious criminal offences, the court was told.

The judge continued: “The police came to your house in February 2023 and they seized your devices and, when they were analysed, they were found to contain something like 1,271 indecent images of children.”

After pointing out the number of images in each category, Recorder Ainsworth said: “Sometimes, the classification of these images into Category A, B and C can allow people to forget the horror that these images show.

“Behind each and every one of those images is a child suffering from serious sexual abuse.

"And behind each and every one of those images, there is a child who is a victim and that is why the courts take such a serious view of this sort of conduct.”

With people such as Crawford, who download the indecent images, there would not be a marketplace for the abuse pictures and videos, he said.

“It must therefore follow that the abuse would not have taken place,” continued the judge.

Recorder Ainsworth noted the defendant had admitted his guilt and the contrition he had showed for his behaviour.

The impact of the conviction on Crawford and his family in coming years would be significant, said the judge.

The aim of the sentencing exercise would be to both punish the defendant and to assist his rehabilitation along with the protection of society. The Recorder imposed an eight-month jail term suspended for 18 months.

It includes 15 rehabilitation activity days and 200 hours of unpaid work. Crawford will be on the Sex Offender Register for a decade and he will be subjected to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.

This will restrict his access to the internet and regulate his contact with children.