Chesterfield RAF man caught with 5,000 sick child abuse images faces jail

Jake Bates also pleaded guilty to distributing some of the vile movies and photographs, some of which were type A, the most serious category.

A court heard how the 19-year-old’s career in the armed services is now likely to be over.

Adjourning sentencing until April, Recorder Martin Hurst said: “You should come back expecting prison.

“You have pleaded guilty to serious charges, the number of images is high and range across all three categories.

“You also distributed some of them and I need to warn you that the starting point for offences like these is three years with a range of three to five years although you will get credit for your guilty pleas.”

Bates was supported by a Flight Lieutenant from the RAF and his father when he appeared at Derby Crown Court, sitting at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court.

He entered guilty pleas to six sex offence charges in total.They were three counts of distributing indecent images of children – three category A images and two category A movies; three category B images and two movies and three category C images.

All of those offences took place between February 23 and March 1 last year. He also admitted three counts of making/possessing indecent images of children between May 3, 2014 and August 24, 2017.

They consisted of 841 images and 311 movies of category A; 978 photographs and 43 movies of category B and 3,209 pictures and 49 movies of category C.

Kevin Waddingham, for Bates, of Tunstall Green, Chesterfield, asked for the adjournment so that psychological reports and a probation report could be prepared for his client.

He said: “He was arrested at his RAF base and has no previous convictions. His Flight Lieutenant is in court along with his father and his mother is outside (the courtroom).”

Bates was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register as a result of his guilty pleas and is set to be sentenced at Derby Crown Court on April 25.