Derbyshire paedophile jailed for “vile” child pornography

Recorder Jason MacAdam told James Conquest, 33, there was “little” mitigation “when one looks at, quite frankly, the evil you’ve done”.

Conquest’s Matlock home was raided three times by police between December 2019 and March this year - when he was already on bail for the images.

During the first search in 2019, 838 of the most serious category A images - 148 of them videos - were discovered.

In September last year he was found with another 500 indecent images - when it was also discovered he had been distributing them on chat app Randochat.

Prosecutor Anthony Cheung said: “On March 3 officers seized the defendant’s phone and found eight category A, seven category B images and 14 Category C images.”

He added: “In his interview the defendant stated that he had no sexual interest in children - he stated the images were sent to him by another user and he had no interest in the images.”

While in another interview Conquest denied he had viewed or downloaded images - in which the young victims were aged between three and six years old.

The court heard “hardened paedophile” blamed “everybody but himself” – concocting lies that he had engaged with other paedophiles online to “steer them away” from offending.

Judge MacAdam told Conquest: “The probation service has found you pose a high risk of harm to children.

“In my judgement your offending prior to your home being searched on December 2019, your offending that was discovered when your home was searched in September 2021 and your offending discovered when your home was searched for the third time in March 2022 leads me to conclude that you knew these sort of offences would be detected by the police but you are incapable of stopping yourself.

“The offences themselves include images or videos of the most serious kind - 148 Category A videos of children in December 2019, 42 extreme pornographic images showing intercourse with an animal.

“In interview you claimed to have been innocently provided with these images and deleted them straight away -your home was searched in September (2021) and category C images were found.

“The ages of the children in respect of all of your offending up until that time were as young as three years of age.”

The judge told how, after being caught for a third time in March this year and it was discovered he had communicated with another known paedophile, Conquest claimed he had tried to “steer this person away” from offending.

He said: “The only proper conclusion is that you are a hardened paedophile who will blame everybody but himself for offending of this type.

“You claimed to go onto the sites to educate people, that I dismiss as nonsense. You are a paedophile and get pleasure from looking at images and videos of children.

“I entirely agree with (probation) - you pose a high risk of harm to children.

Judge MacAdam said there could be “little” mitigation “when one looks at, quite frankly, the evil you’ve done in your life by accessing this sort of disgusting, vile material and so, encouraging the industry of sexual abuse upon children for profit”.

The court heard there was a “danger” the defendant would “progress” on to “contact offences” - the “natural progression” for someone like Conquest.

Conquest’s defence barrister, Benn Robinson, said his offending happened after losing contact with his five-year-old child and while “isolated” caring for his elderly mother.

The defendant, of Lumsdale Crescent, Matlock, admitted making indecent photographs of children, possessing extreme pornographic images and distributing images.

He was jailed for 45 months and made subject of a life-long sexual harm prevention order.

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