A Swindon sex offender has been caught with child abuse images for the third time.
Christopher Stagg breached his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), downloading 3,165 indecent images of children over a seven-week period.
Between 6 June and 26 July this year, the 51-year-old used undisclosed devices – found hidden in an extractor fan and a metal bed frame – to access the material.
Child abuse images found included 139 Category A images, which are the most serious, 341 Category B images, and 2,685 Category C images.
Officers from Wiltshire Police’s Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) unit had to force entry to his address in Applewood Court, Westlea.
This is despite the SHPO stating that he must allow them access to carry out checks on his devices. He’s also banned from owning devices not declared to police.
At Swindon Crown Court on 6 November, he was jailed for two years – having pleaded guilty to three SHPO breaches and three counts of making indecent images of children.
It’s the third time Stagg has been convicted of making indecent images, and is currently a registered sex offender.
Wiltshire Police’s Child Internet Exploitation Team officer Beccy Scott welcomed his term of imprisonment, stating that his use this martial only contributes to the abuse of children.
She said: “Despite being subject to a court order and the sex offenders register Stagg has deceptively and purposefully continued to re-offend by using undisclosed devices hidden within his property, despite being monitoring through our Management Of Violent Sexual Offenders department.
“Through his actions he has created a market for child abuse material.
“Officers had to force their way into his home and found devices hidden in his kitchen extractor fan and metal bed frame.
“This is the third time that Stagg has been convicted of making child sexual abuse images.
“Every single child in the thousands of images he held in his possession is a victim of sexual exploitation. I welcome today’s custodial sentence.
“Safeguarding vulnerable children and bringing child sex offenders to justice remains the Child Internet Exploitation Teams’ priority.”
