Jeffrey Wade leaves court after being spared jail (Picture: Liverpool Echo)
A paedophile has walked free from court after he took an Amazon Kindle full of child sex abuse images to Cash Converters.
Jeffrey Wade had been ‘downloading and stockpiling’ more than 4,000 sickening photos and videos since 2016.
His collection included images of babies and toddlers being molested and children as young as five being raped.
But Wade was spared jail and celebrated with a suspicious cigarette outside court after a judge heard he was ‘motivated to put this behaviour behind him’.
The 35-year-old was rumbled when he went to the pawnbrokers in Liverpool on March 26 last year.
He received £15 for the Kindle and provided the password for the e-reader.
When the 28-day cooling-off period ended, staff went to wipe the device but discovered disturbing photos.
Cash Converters immediately contacted the police who found hundreds of indecent images on the Kindle.
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Officers raided Wade’s home and seized more electronic equipment including a laptop, Raspberry Pi computer, mobile phones, USB sticks, SD card and an external hard drive.
In total, officers found 145 Category A indecent images – the most serious category – 392 Category B and 3,719 Category C files.
The Category A files including images of children as young as five or six being raped, while the Category B images included newborn babies and toddlers.
Prosecutor Jamie Baxter said the evidence showed Wade had been searching for ‘three to five years old nude’ and using techniques ‘to try and conceal his criminality’.
Wade, who has no previous convictions, admitted three counts of downloading and one of possessing indecent images of children, and one count of possessing prohibited images of children.
Sarah Holt, defending, said Wade had received support for mental health problems, was on medication, and had something of a ‘chaotic lifestyle’.
She said someone with knowledge of how to conceal their actions online didn’t fit with Wade, who took his Kindle to the pawnbrokers with images still on it.
Judge Rachel Smith told Wade: ‘This is not a victimless crime. For every consumer such as yourself, seeking out images, a real child is abused to create the images.’
However, she said the Probation Service believed there was a ‘low likelihood of re-conviction’ and that she noted his mental health issues, lack of previous convictions, and the fact he was ‘motivated to put this behaviour behind him’.
Judge Smith sentenced Wade to 16 months in jail, suspended for two years, and said he must stay on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.
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