PAEDOPHILE SNARED BY UNDERCOVER COP WHILE CHATTING TO '14-YEAR-OLD BOY'
A paedophile was snared by an undercover cop while already on bail for having incident images of children.Darren Kendall was communicating online with who he believed was a 14-year-old boy but it was actually a police officer.
The 54-year-old had already been bailed after being found with 1,055 indecent of children.
Teesside Crown Court heard how he had 316 category A images - the most serious - as well as 458 category B images and 280 category C images.
Kendall was found to have distributed indecent images of children to others in two chats.
He was also found in possession of 2,137 images of extreme pornography, which the court heard involved animals.
Caoimhe Bicknell, prosecuting, told the court in Middlesbrough how the images, which were discovered on his mobile phone and hard drive, were identified as being from between 2015 and 2025.
The prosecutor said that, while on bail for the offences, he went on to talk to an undercover officer, who he believed was an underage boy.
She said: "There were discussions of a sexual nature with the undercover officer who stated he was 14 years old and there was images exchanged throughout this Snapchat." Kendall, of Suggitt Street, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing indecent images, three counts of making indecent images, two offences of possessing extreme pornography, possessing a prohibited image of a child and attempted sexual communication with a child.
Nathan Davis, defending, told the court that Kendall's offending began following the death of Kendall's mother, who he did everything for.
He said that he also developed an alcohol addiction, which he has now combatted.
Mr Davis said: "When he was arrested on the second occasion he has taken steps to turn his life around.
He's cut ties entirely with the online community that he was conversing with.
"He is shocked and disgusted with his own behaviour.
What he can't do is bring himself to make the admission that he has a sexual interest from this." Judge Advocate Thomas Mitchell told Kendall: "I have no doubt you have a sexual interest in children.
It's the only possible explanation both for the material you have and also the conversation that you had with the police officer.
"That's the only finding I can make and it's undoubtedly the right one.
That's the reason I will make the sexual harm prevention order.
"What you distributed was images rather than moving images.
But nonetheless, that's a very serious offence indeed.
"This court will not have it.
Those who distribute images of these kind can expect to go to prison immediately for doing it.
"I cannot understand how it is that you came to it but I can understand that your life has taken a number of desperate turns.
You have gone down a rabbit hole." Kendall was jailed for 32 months and must now abide by a sexual harm prevention order.
