Derbyshire man found in possession of child porn after phone shop staff spotted sick images on his mobile

A former soldier from Derbyshire was found in possession of child pornography after he took his mobile phone into a store and staff saw some of the images.
David Hirst was given a community order after police caught him with child pornDavid Hirst was given a community order after police caught him with child porn
David Hirst was given a community order after police caught him with child porn

David Hirst was caught in possession of more than 750 illegal images on his phone, and on a harddrive discovered at his home when police went to search it, Derby Crown Court was told on Wednesday, December 23.

Prosecuting, Sarah Slater told the court that, of the images discovered, two were classified as Category A, the most extreme, 13 were Category B, and 736 were Category C, following Hirst’s arrest in November 2018.

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The children pictured ranged in age from five to 13 years of age, she said.

“This came to light when the defendant took his mobile phone into the O2 store in Buxton and one of the employees noticed that there was an indecent image on it,” Miss Slater told the court.

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“He contacted his manager and they managed to stall the defendant to stop him from leaving the shop until the police arrived. He also told police he had a hard drive at his home that had more images on it.”

Hirst, 40, of Nunsfield Road, Buxton, had admitted three counts of possessing child porn when he appeared before the court at an earlier hearing.

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Mitigating, Anastasi Tasou said Hirst suffered from PTSD and depression after serving in Iraq.

He said: “This is a man of previous good character and has stayed out of trouble since this offence in 2018. There are many reasons why the court can step back from immediate custody. He is a man who is very consciously aware of his feelings and the issues that he has.”

Judge Robert Egbuna sentenced Hirst to a three-year community order to include 60 rehabilitation activity days, which will explore the sexual nature of his offending.

He also made a sexual harm prevention order, prohibiting him from using any device with access to the internet for the next five years.

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Sentencing, he told Hirst: “I acknowledge that you served in Iraq and suffered PTSD and depression, which would suggest you have a troubled past, but that is no excuse for downloading this material, which leads to the abuse of young people.”

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