ANDREW ATACK CAUGHT WITH OVER 12,000 CHILD INDECENT IMAGES IN SETTLE, BRADFORD CROWN COURT

In a case that has shocked the community of Settle, a retired teacher named Andrew Atack, aged 65, was found to possess an alarming collection of more than 12,000 indecent images of children on his personal computers. The investigation was triggered when his online user identity was inadvertently exposed after 2,393 disturbing images appeared on a website associated with an innocent company based in Gloucestershire, leading authorities to take swift action.

Following this discovery, police officers visited Atack’s residence located in Bridge End Yard, Settle. During the search, they confiscated his desktop and laptop computers, which contained the illicit material. The images on his devices were classified predominantly as level one, indicating the least severe category of child abuse images. However, some of the images were identified as level five, the most serious classification, highlighting the disturbing nature of the content involved.

Atack’s case was brought before Bradford Crown Court after being committed by Skipton magistrates. He pleaded guilty to a total of 13 charges, which included ten counts of making indecent images of a child, one count of creating an indecent movie involving a child, and two additional “roll-up” charges that encompassed the remaining images found on his devices.

Prosecutor Richard Davies emphasized that Atack was previously considered a man of good character and clarified that there was no evidence to suggest he had distributed the images to others. The court was informed that Atack had downloaded the images on four separate occasions between May and November of 2010.

During the proceedings, Atack’s solicitor advocate, Simon Hustler, explained that his client was a highly intelligent individual who had suffered from depression. Hustler emphasized that Atack was not a physical offender, stating, “He is not a toucher. It was a period he went through and he is deeply ashamed.”

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC delivered a sentence of eight months’ imprisonment, which was suspended for two years. The judge also ordered Atack to undergo supervision and attend a sex offender treatment program. While describing the number of images as “staggering,” the judge acknowledged that the offences had crossed the threshold for immediate custody but ultimately decided that incarceration would not serve the public interest.

In addition to the suspended sentence, Atack was ordered to pay £1,000 towards prosecution costs. He is also required to sign the sex offenders’ register for a period of ten years. Furthermore, the court imposed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order with no time limit, aimed at monitoring and controlling his use of computers to prevent any future offending.