Northampton man asked children online for sexual pictures, court told

A Northampton paedophile asked children online for sexual pictures and distributed indecent images since he was 16.

Jimmy Lodge had more than 600 indecent images of children, 157 extreme pornographic pictures and 90 prohibited photographs in his possession when he was arrested in 2018.

After previously pleading guilty, the 25-year-old, of Parkwood Street, was sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for two years, at Northampton Crown Court today (Tuesday, September 21).

His Honour Judge Rupert Mayo told him: "In 2018, your premises were searched and instantly you made admissions that since the age of 16, you have been sharing indecent images of young children.

"When the full investigation was carried out on the devices, no fewer than five separate devices, that you had access to, a rather more gloomy picture was painted."

Richard Thatcher, prosecuting, said police raided Lodge's home on March 12, 2018.

He admitted to having 'two, possibly three' devices in his bedroom containing indecent images of children - two phones, two USB sticks and a laptop were seized.

The defendant was arrested and during his interview, he said he used an online chat application to access such images since he was 16, which he used for sexual gratification.

Lodge also admitted to 'enjoying' bestiality and searching for it online.

An investigation of the seized devices, which was not completed until January last year, found the illegal images as well as evidence of the defendant distributing eight of them online in February 2018. It also uncovered disturbing online searches.

Mr Thatcher said: "The chat apps suggest he wasn't merely a correspondent as he sought out like-minded people and first-generation images to find young people online to send him pictures of themselves.

"The app was used to trade images - a fortnight before his arrest the chat says he asked if underage girls were trading and traded category A images.

Lodge also said on the chat that he did not mind being called a 'paedo', Mr Thatcher added.

Latif Sharma, defending, said her client is remorseful for his actions but he has been supported by his family to overcome that.

"He now spends more time with his family, not that he was completely isolated, although these offences are very serious, it has been a wake-up call to the family that he can't sit inside his room, that's what's broken since then," she told Judge Mayo.

"He's not been working and he's not been in education but his social anxiety has reduced and the realisation of his offending is an achievement for someone with learning difficulties and who struggled with his own understanding - it's not a defence but it shows his maturity now."

Judge Mayo said he was 'glad' to hear Lodge is 'engaging more in public life and I hope your experience of life goes beyond your home'.

The honorary recorder of Northampton said he passed the 'lowest possible sentence', even taking the delay and 'mental health frailties' into account.

The judge decided to suspend the sentence because there are 'realistic prospects for rehabilitation'.

Lodge will also have to complete 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days as well as being on the sex offenders register and have a sexual harm prevention order, both for 10 years.

Judge Mayo told him: "From your chat history, you, on the evidence, sought like-minded users and to speak to people under 16 and invited them to send pictures of themselves in sexual positions and communicated with adults and in a minor way, but not insignificant, you were trading and that's a significant offence."