A Chippenham paedophile has admitted collecting more than 600 indecent photographs and videos of children as young as ten-years-old.
Robert Harris, 57, pleaded guilty to possessing category A, B and C still and moving images of children at Swindon Magistrates’ Court this morning.
The court heard that the defendant – of King Alfred Street, which is less than 50 metres from a children’s play area within John Coles Park – acquired the images between October 2016 and November 2019.
The 35 category A (involving penetrative sexual activity), 120 category B (non-penetrative sexual activity) and 493 category C images (indecent images not falling within categories A or B) were found on a Samsung tablet.
The crown prosecutor told the bench one of the victims was just 10-years-old and suggested the length of time he had been collecting the images was an aggravating factor.
Due to the seriousness of the offences committed, magistrates declined jurisdiction and the case was adjourned to Swindon Crown Court for sentencing in April. They ordered a pre-sentence report.
Released on bail, Harris was told to report to Melksham Police Station to register as a sex offender within 72 hours.
