DAVID MOIST PLYMOUTH MAN SOLD CHILD ABUSE IMAGES ON SECONDHAND COMPUTER

In a case that has shocked the local community of Plymouth, a man named David Moist, residing on Keppel Terrace in Keyham, was found to have sold a computer containing a significant number of illegal images. The incident came to light in January of the previous year when Moist took his computer to a local secondhand shop, Cash Converters, with the intention of selling it. However, staff members at the shop discovered a disturbing collection of images stored on the device and promptly contacted law enforcement authorities to investigate further.

Following the discovery, police arrested Moist on March 2. During questioning, he admitted to having taken some photographs of boys in Torquay. While these particular images depicted fully clothed minors and were not classified as indecent, investigators uncovered a far more troubling cache of 452 images downloaded from the internet. These images were categorized into different levels of severity, with 66 at the least serious level one, 263 at level two, 111 at level three, and 12 at the most serious level four. The images were obtained through internet searches using keywords such as 'schoolboys,' indicating a deliberate attempt to find material involving minors.

When shown the images, Moist refused to acknowledge that they depicted boys under the age of 18. Prosecutor Jo Martin outlined that Moist, aged 57, had a long history of criminal convictions dating back to 1975, including offenses such as indecent assault on a male, gross indecency, and breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order. Notably, he was previously sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2002 for possessing indecent photographs of children.

In the current case, Moist pleaded guilty to seven counts of making indecent photographs of a child and one count of possessing such images. His defense lawyer, McKenzie Robinson, acknowledged the gravity of the situation, stating, "He knows it must be jail. He has struggled all his life with his sexual preferences. As he has got older, he has got his sexual gratification from older boys."

Judge Francis Gilbert QC delivered the sentence, condemning Moist to two years in prison, with a deduction of 119 days for time already served on remand. Additionally, the court imposed an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order, mandated that Moist remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for ten years, and ordered the destruction of the computer involved in the offense. This case underscores the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to combat the distribution and possession of illegal images, especially involving minors, and highlights the importance of vigilance in secondhand sales to prevent such materials from circulating further.