A PAEDOPHILE who had images of children as young as six on his phone also had disturbing pornographic pictures of animals.

David Daniel Ashley, who has previous convictions for indecent assault on a child under 16, was visited by police on three separate occasions over the last 48 months – and each time was found to be in possession of devices he was forbidden to have due to the imposition of a sexual harm prevention order.

On the first occasion, in November 2018, police visiting Ashley’s home on a routine visit found three devices he had not declared – two of which had image cleaning software on them.

Ashley was dealt with by magistrates for one breach of a sexual harm prevention order the next day by way of a fine and the devices were sent off for analysis.

Those checks were still taking place when officers visited Ashley again in February of 2019, when they found two more mobile devices in his coat pocket.

Later analysis of those devices found 22 images on a Samsung phone - four category B, two category C, 11 prohibited images and five extreme pornographic images.

Beth Pilling, prosecuting, said children as young as six were in the pictures, adding there were no moving videos found. The extreme pornographic images all involved animals.

For those offences, the defendant was released under investigation and he was later interviewed again in relation to them in October. By February of this year officers attended his address again to inform Ashley of the decision to charge him, when again they found more undeclared devices.

Defending, James Heyworth said: “I invite your honour to approve that there is no realistic chance of rehabilitation for him while he is in custody in the present climate.

“He tells me he is embarrassed and ashamed by what he does and the fact he continues to do it – though he is a long way off from fully appreciating his actions. He is getting on for 60 and does have some insight into the fact he has a problem.

“Having been in custody since February he knows he is going to keep going back again so ultimately it is going to fall on him alone to bring a stop to this.”

Ashley of Brentwood Road, Nelson, was sentenced by Judge Sara Dodd for a total of two years for his offending.

Handing down her sentence, Judge Dodd commented: “In 1992 and 1997 you committed two very unpleasant sexual assaults. The victim in the latter was only 12. Those matters were not before the courts until 2004 when you received a sentence after a plea of guilty. Since you have only committed non-contact sexual offences.”