A MAN who was found in possession of more than 2,300 indecent images and videos of children in Bristol after he voluntarily handed a memory card over to police in connection with an unrelated matter has been sentenced to two years and four months’ imprisonment.

 

Benjamin Nash, 31, of Bishopsworth, was spotted by officers deleting images from a memory card before handing it over in connection with a separate inquiry.

 

Examination of the memory card and another phone found on arrest revealed found thousands of images of child abuse, the majority of which were in the most serious category and many featured children as young as two.

Nash was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court earlier today to two years and four months’ imprisonment after admitting 17 charges at an earlier hearing, including offences of contacting teenage girls on social media and encouraging them to engage in sexual activity.

He was also given a 10 years Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and will have to sign on to the Sex Offenders’ Register for the next 10 years.

The charges he admitted were:

Two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
Five counts of distributing indecent images of children
Three counts of making indecent images of children
Three counts of making indecent videos of children
Three counts of possessing indecent images of children
One count of possessing an extreme pornographic image

Investigating officer Det Con Russell Saunders said: “Benjamin Nash had amassed a collection of indecent images and videos of children that were of the most vile and extreme kind.

“Our subsequent investigation found he was actively making contact and exchanging those same images with like-minded offenders both in the UK and abroad.

“Nash had also contacted two girls, aged 13 and 15, through social media; as well as sending explicit pictures of himself he was able  to manipulate one into sending him explicit images, preying on her vulnerability to achieve this.”

“There is currently no evidence of any direct contact offences but there’s no doubt that Nash has a pronounced sexual interest in young children and the progression in his offending represents a significant risk in the community.

“I welcome the custodial sentence. I hope other offenders see this as a warning and realise that the internet is not necessarily anonymous, viewing or downloading those images is not harmless, clearly those damaged most are the children abused to fuel this sickening trade but the effects will also have devastating and far reaching consequences for the offenders themselves and their families.

“Our aim is to protect children and the message to offenders viewing those images is clear: you know what you are doing is wrong, so stop and seek help before it’s too late, we are actively looking for you and will employ every resource available to us to locate you and bring you to justice."

For more information and contact details of charities and organisations offering independent support and advice to victims of child abuse, please visit our advice page: http://bit.ly/1K4ybfP

More information and guidance is also available from the Lucy Faithful Foundation which provides a resource and confidential advice for survivors of child abuse, family members and also those who think they may be at risk of offending.

Visit www.lucyfaithfull.org, www.stopitnow.org.uk or call the Freephone confidential Stop it Now! helpline on 0808 1000 900.