STEVEN MADDOCK

WALSALL MAN SENTENCED FOR POSSESSION OF OVER 15,500 INDECENT CHILDREN IMAGES

A man has been convicted of possessing more than 15,500 indecent images of children, including some described as the worst recorded by officers.

Steven Maddock, aged 63, was actively using the dark web and accessing sites that shared and distributed illegal images.

Following his arrest, authorities seized a computer from his residence in Skip Lane, Walsall, which contained the images.

Maddock admitted to creating indecent images and possessing extreme pornography and prohibited content during an earlier hearing.

The offending was believed to have occurred between 2016 and 2018, with 4,202 images classified as the most severe category.

The images depicted children aged between one and 14 and were stored in a folder labeled 'music collection.' Detective Constable Emma Simpson, who handled the investigation, said: "These images were some of the worst that have been viewed by our experienced officers.

The content was extremely disturbing and upsetting for those involved in the investigation." Maddock initially claimed his account was hacked, but extensive forensic analysis disproved this.

He was sentenced on Tuesday, October 8th, to 16 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, issued a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, and required to register on the sex offenders register for 10 years.