A man who worked with kids and was found with sickening videos of young girls on his phone was unable to accept he's attracted to children, a court heard.
Liverpool Crown Court heard Merseyside Police went to the home of Andrew Serridge, 55, after a vigilante group had been monitoring his messages on Snapchat. Nardeen Nemat, prosecuting, said officers arrived on July 29, 2021 and seized his mobile phone and tablet.
When his Samsung mobile was examined a total of 90 indecent images were found. These included five videos in the most serious category and 64 more. It was found they were downloaded between January 15, 2020 and July 16, 2021 and a bestiality image was downloaded on October 26, 2019 and there was evidence that it had been sent to another WhatsApp user, said Ms Nemat.
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His phone had also been used to search for indecent images of children between May and July 2021.
When initially interviewed Serridge, of Kings Lane, Higher Bebington, Wirral, made no comment and when re-interviewed he denied intentionally downloading the images though admitted seeing some of them. He said someone had sent him the bestiality image as a joke and had been “shocked and disgusted.”
Serridge voluntarily sought counselling after the images were found on his mobile phone. Serridge pleaded guilty to five offences involving making indecent images, possessing indecent images and possessing an extreme pornographic image.
Charlotte Noddings, defending, said: “Positive work with professional intervention and working closely with the probation service is the way to protect the public.”
He had gone for counselling before he had even been charged and his partner remains supportive, although not condoning his activities.
The judge, Recorder David Knifton, KC, told him: “Both in your letter to me and discussions with a probation officer you express shame and remorse on your actions but nevertheless lack insight into the enormous harm caused to the children depicted in those images. Were it not for individuals such as you being prepared to download and view such images there would not be any market for the creation of such images with the enormous emotional and sexual harm cause to those children involved.
"It is apparent to me that you are unable to face up to the reality that you are sexually attracted to children.”
Sentencing him the judge said that the defendant had downloaded the images over 18 months, a relatively long period, and they included moving images. He said he took into account that he has no relevant previous convictions and had pleaded guilty and taken steps to address his offending.
He lost his job as a digital horse designer for disabled children after the offences came to light but is now in employment earning £35,000 a year. Recorder Knifton sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered him to carry out 240 hours unpaid work and 30 days rehabilitation activities.
He imposed a ten year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and Serridge has to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for the same period.
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