Mansfield dad shared sick child porn on Facebook

Police received information about the offence in late 2018, and executed a warrant at Stephen Pegg’s home in Warsop, on June 11, 2019, Nottingham Crown Court heard on Wednesday.

Between February 2013 and June 2019, he downloaded 46 still images and 117 videos that were rated as Category A, 37 stills and 43 videos at Category B, and 25 stills and six videos at Category C, where “A” is the most extreme.

Prosecutor Esther Harrison said most of the Category A images showed boys aged 12-14, and that images from all categories were sent to nine other users over a six month period.

When he was interviewed by police, Pegg claimed he “sent the videos because he had been asked to, and they had sent videos back.”

“He said he didn’t think it was illegal if it was shared outside the UK,” Ms Harrison said.

The court heard Pegg, who has learning difficulties, had been warned by Facebook. He told officers it was “disgraceful” and that he regretted it.

Pegg, 52, of Wellington Close, Warsop, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images, three counts of distribution and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

Judge Stuart Rafferty QC told Paul Wright, mitigating: "He deserves to go to prison for any number of reasons, but given his difficulties I will suspend it."

He told Pegg: "It doesn’t take much thought by anybody to realise that children who are seen in pornographic videos don't want to be doing it.

"People are off camera waiting to batter them if they don't pretend to be happy. Sadly their lives are damaged.

"People like you are simply making them more unhappy and taking their dignity away from them.”

The judge sentenced him to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, with a two-year community order and 60 rehabilitation days.

A five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order was imposed, and his computers were forfeited and destroyed.

"Take the help that is going to be given to you and stay out of trouble," the judge told Pegg.

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