Jonathan Veasey-Pugh prosecuted a former Conservative Party campaign manager at the Crown Court at Warwick for a number of offences including those related to indecent images of children. The defendant, who pleaded guilty to seven charges, was given a two-year jail term suspended for two years.
The offences related to more than 1400 unlawful images of which over 200 were classified within the most serious category.
Passing sentence on Friday, recorder Martin Butterworth told the defendant: “I have to sentence you for downloading dreadful images of children, of children being abused, and downloading other unlawful sexual images.” He added that: “Any consumer of this dreadful material causes others to make it.”
The defendant admitted one count of distributing indecent images of children, three counts of making indecent images of children, one count of possessing extreme pornography involving animals, one of possessing prohibited images of children and one of publishing an obscene article. He was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and made the subject of a 40-day rehabilitation activity requirement, a four-month curfew and 10-year sexual harm prevention order.