A paedophile found with indecent images of children during a monitoring visit has been jailed.

Officers from Essex Police’s MOSOVO (Management of Sexual and Violent Offenders) team visited the home of 24-year-old Paul Thompson in Douglas Grove, Witham, on May 11 last year.

During the routine visit officers carried out a search of his computer equipment where they instantly came across indecent images of children depicting abuse of girls aged as young as seven.

Thompson was arrested, his house was searched and officers seized further computer equipment including a computer tower, hard drives and a USB stick.

Other devices had already been seized by MOSOVO officers on two previous monitoring visits.

Forensic analysis of all computer equipment found they contained:

  • 28 Category A images and 59 movies (Category A is most serious category of abuse imagery)
  • 58 Category B images and 62 movies
  • 66 Category C images and 6 movies
  • 75 Prohibited images of children and 19 movies
  • 18 extreme images and 22 movies

Chelmsford Weekly News:

Thompson was charged with:

  • Seven counts of making indecent images of children
  • Three counts of possessing prohibited images of children
  • Two counts of possessing extreme pornographic images of children

Thompson admitted the charges when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on January 18 and was jailed for 15 months.

He was also made the subject of an eight-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for a further ten years.

Thompson was brought to justice following a joint investigation by Essex Police’s MOSOVO, Child Abuse Investigation Team and Operation Gloucester team, which is a specialist team of extra officers who use an intelligence-led approach to target those involved in child abuse imagery offences.

The investigation was led by detective constables Laura Mackenzie, Cheryl Parker and Michael Summers.

Following the sentencing DI Bonnie Moore said: “Through the combined efforts and hard work of three of our specialist teams, we have been able to put Thompson - who was already a convicted sex offender and showed no remorse throughout - behind bars where he belongs.”

“Protecting children continues to be a top priority for Essex Police. Not only are children abused to make this imagery, but every time individuals like Thompson download or view that imagery, the abuse and exploitation of those children continues.

“We will continue to leave no stone unturned in our targeting of those offenders committing offences involving child abuse imagery.”

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation is the only UK-wide child protection charity focused solely on preventing child sexual abuse.

The charity runs Stop it Now! – a child sexual abuse prevention campaign and helpline

Visit stopitnow.org.uk or call the confidential helpline on 0808 1000 900.