Jail for registered sex offender found with 30,000 indecent images of children

Registered sex offender, Samuel Moodie, 55, of Burton-in-Lonsdale has been jailed for 20 months after being found with 30,000 indecent images of children.

Due to a previous conviction in 2017 for the possession of indecent images of children, Moodie was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which prohibited him from using or possessing any device which was capable of accessing the internet, without notifying police. The order also prohibited him from accessing any type of cloud storage, without declaring and providing access details to police.

Despite this, officers conducting a search at his property uncovered 30,000 indecent images of children including category A, B and C images across three devices along with the details for a Google Drive cloud account.

He was found guilty in September of three counts of making indecent images of children, one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child and breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He was jailed at York Crown Court on 10 November 2023.

Speaking after his sentencing today, Detective Constable Kerri Jones from the North Yorkshire Police Online Child Abuse Team, said:

“Despite already serving a prison sentence for a similar offence in 2017 and clearly knowing the terms of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order placed on him at the time, Samuel Moodie blatantly flouted the order and once again accessed and saved some truly hideous images of child sex abuse.

“I’m pleased he’s back behind bars, where he cannot play a role in sharing these disturbing and harmful images. Those who obtain and distribute child abuse material directly contribute to the sexual exploitation of children, because the children involved are continually re-victimised every time the images are shared and viewed.

“I’d like to thank the expertise of North Yorkshire Police’s Digital Forensic Unit and the dedication of my colleagues who have been involved in this investigation.

“I hope the sentence handed to Moodie sends a clear message that police can and will track down anyone involved in the making or sharing of indecent images of children and we will use our expertise to uncover the unquestionable digital evidence that will lead to a conviction.”