A NORTHWICH man has avoided jail after downloading extreme sexual images of children and animals over an 18-year period. 

Peter Young told police they would find the pictures on several devices when they raided his home on Walnut Avenue, Weaverham, on Thursday, May 25. 

The officers were acting on a tip-off.  

When they searched the devices, they found 455 category C images, 47 category B, and 81 category A – the most serious kind – which depict sexual acts with a child under 12 years old.

Among them were extreme images of animals engaging in sex acts.

Young, who has no previous convictions or cautions, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children, and one count each of possessing indecent, prohibited, and extreme images. 

He used a variety of websites and chat facilities to acquire the images of both boys and girls.

Prosecuting, Jane Morris told the court the 71-year-old made full admissions and confessed to having a sexual interest in children.

She added Young told probation officers his interests had only ever been fantasy, and he'd never sought to make it a reality.

Ms Morris explained Young claims his sexual interest had declined with age since he began downloading the images 18 years ago.

Defending, Catherine Higham said the probation service assessed the risk of Young reoffending as low. 

She added: “Mr Young pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, and by doing so, lost his good character.

“At the time of the offending, he admits to having a sexual interest in children, but his interest in sex has decreased with age.”

Ms Higham also said sending him to prison, where he would be living in among similar offenders, may not be consistent with his rehabilitation.

Passing sentence, his honour Judge Steven Everett said: “All of this this just totally disgusting.

“You have been accessing this material for a long time.

“Your probation officer says you lack personal empathy, that you don’t understand the seriousness of what you're doing. I have to admit, I agree.

“These images relate to real people – very young children – being sexally abused by a person and photographed at the same time.

“This is a truly awful thing, but I’m not getting the impression you understand that.

“We don’t know what happened to these young children. We don’t know whether they have been killed as a result.

“There will always be abusers, but without people prepared to download these kinds of images, many victims may never be in this position.

“People like you encourage this kind of abuse. It’s time you had a re-think.”

Judge Everett sentenced Young to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to undertake a minimum of 45 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and 150 hours unpaid work.

He’ll also have to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years, and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order, meaning all his electronic devices capable of going online must be registered with the police.