Online Wakefield paedophile avoids custody because of his 'honesty'

Officers moved in to arrest Samuel Eastwood after he was flagged up to the authorities for downloading a series of sick images, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Information was passed to West Yorkshire Police on July 30, 2022, that his IP address was involved, so they went to his home in March last year and seized two computers and a USB device. They found 18 category A images - the most serious - along with 14 category B and 712 category C. There were also two prohibited images of children found.

The 29-year-old, of Templar Street, Wakefield, was interviewed and fully admitted his wrongdoing. He told officers he had become addicted to the content of the images dating back 10 or 15 years and had accessed various known websites looking for the illegal content.

He admitted three counts of making indecent images and one of possessing prohibited images. He has no previous convictions. Mitigating, Kara Frith told the court: "He could not have been more open. There are an awful lot of issues. He is quite inadequate and really needs the help."

Judge Christopher Batty gave him an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, and told him: "I am impressed by how honest and open you have been which allows me to suspend the sentence of imprisonment.

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"It certainly appears to me that you are someone with whom the probation can work and may well be able to deal with what is clearly more than a fascination with images of that sort."

He also gave him 30 rehabilitation days, put him on the sex offender register for 10 years and gave him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to limit his internet use.