GATESHEAD SEX OFFENDER CAUGHT WITH CARTOON OF NAKED GIRL HANDED SUSPENDED SENTENCE
A convicted paedophile named Stephen Massey, aged 41, from Gateshead, was found guilty of possessing a prohibited image of a girl on his phone, which depicted a naked girl in a cartoon form.He initially denied downloading the picture, but jurors convicted him of this offense at Newcastle Crown Court.
Massey had previously served a prison sentence of one year in 2018 for possessing a large number of indecent images of children.
During court proceedings, Massey admitted breaching a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and notification requirements after failing to inform police of acquiring new devices such as a phone, tablet, and bank card.
He was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment, suspended for two years.
The court also heard police visited Massey's home in December 2022, during which they found the cartoon image downloaded five days earlier.
Massey claimed ignorance about how the image appeared on his device, suggesting he thought it was an image of an adult woman.
Further searches revealed unregistered devices, breaching the earlier court orders.
Judge Nathan Adams emphasized Massey's intelligence, noting he had a degree in computing and a decade-long career in IT at Newcastle College.
Despite his previous conviction, the judge believed there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and ordered him to attend an intensive sex offender program.
