ANDREW WAITES FROM CHELTENHAM AND FOREST OF DEAN CAUGHT WITH 24,000 INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN

Andrew Waites, a resident of Melody Way, Longlevens, in the Forest of Dean, was sentenced to a three-year community order by Cheltenham Magistrates' Court following his admission to possessing a vast collection of indecent images of children. The case, which drew significant attention, revealed that Waites, aged 53, had spent over six years downloading and accumulating more than 24,000 such images on his personal home computer.

Authorities conducted a raid on his residence in Longlevens, where they uncovered a disturbing cache of 24,206 images depicting naked children aged between eight and 15. The police investigation was thorough, and during the forensic examination of his computer, they identified these images across multiple storage devices. It is important to note that there is no evidence suggesting any of the children featured in the images were pupils at Pittville School in Cheltenham, where Waites was employed as a teacher at the time of his arrest. Following his apprehension, Waites was suspended from his teaching duties pending further proceedings.

He pleaded guilty to four charges related to the making of indecent photographs of children, with the offences spanning from October 2003 to November of the previous year. The court was informed that the police seized 91 CDs during their investigation, with 30 of these subjected to detailed examination. Prosecutor Sharon Green explained that, due to the volume of data, officers decided to estimate the total number of images rather than scrutinize every file individually. She clarified that the images fell within the lower levels of severity on the scale used to categorize such material, which ranges from Level One, the least serious, to Level Five, the most serious.

Specifically, Ms Green stated, “Out of the 91 CDs, it was estimated that there are approximately 24,206 images in total. The majority are classified as Level One, with a smaller proportion falling into Level Two.” The images depicted children in various states of nudity, some in provocative poses, which contributed to the court’s assessment of the material’s seriousness. The case continues to be processed, with sentencing scheduled for next month, as the court considers the full extent of the defendant’s actions and the impact of his crimes.