A Ryedale sex offender possessing an extensive collection of over 330,000 sexual photos of children, some of which were disseminated online, has been incarcerated.
Brooke Morrison, the prosecutor, stated that Stephen George Garside’s compilation of recordings and images included some depicting children as young as two years old.
He printed several photographs and compiled them into a photo album.
Garside had been acquiring pornographic photos of minors for 12 years before law enforcement intervened to halt his offences.
Officers apprehended him at his workplace and conducted searches of his work locker and residence near Malton.
Following his guilty plea to multiple internet sexual offences, Garside asserted to a probation officer that he was only interested in adult pornography and did not seek sexual photos of minors online, as shown before York Crown Court.
However, Deputy Circuit Judge Deborah Sherwin rejected that assertion.
“It is evident to me that you have maintained an interest in child pornography for numerous years,” she stated. This was driven by a sexual motivation stemming from your unfulfilled wants, as you had not engaged in a sexual relationship during your adult life.
She sentenced Garside to 18 months of incarceration. She additionally placed him on the sex offenders’ register for a duration of 10 years and imposed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) upon him.
The order will limit his internet usage and allow law enforcement to oversee his online activities.
Garside, 58, of Saxon Drive, Rillington, near Malton, admitted guilt to six counts of producing indecent images of children through downloading, one count of distributing a limited number of images from the least severe category, one count of possessing extreme pornography, and one count of possessing prohibited images of children.
He represented himself and, when queried by the judge regarding any desire to provide mitigation, declined.
Ms. Morrison stated that law enforcement visited Garside’s residence and workplace on July 7, 2020. He was located at his workplace and subjected to a search. They conducted a search of his work locker and residence, confiscating many internet devices and other items.
Forensic examinations indicated that the confiscated devices and things held a total of 333,337 films and images, with the exception of 115, all depicting children. Out of 373 videos, all except one included children. There were 94 recordings depicting children in the most severe category of sexual exploitation, 51 in the moderate category, and 219 in the least severe category. Seven movies depicting minors were blocked, along with one sexually explicit video.
There were 321 images of children categorised as the most severe, 606 categorised as moderate, 332,237 categorised as least severe, 114 categorised as sexually extreme, and 59 prohibited images of minors.
The initial material was dated 2008, and subsequent dates indicated that he continued to download content until his arrest 12 years later.
On two instances, he utilised “torrent” software to disseminate a minimal quantity of the lowest-tier photographs online.
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