Sheffield Crown Court: Pervert with indecent images of children faces jail if he re-offends

Sheffield Crown Court heard on January 16 how Michael Crombie, aged 35, was found by police with indecent images of children at his home along with an image depicting extreme pornography.

Stephanie Hollis, prosecuting, said intelligence led officers to the address, where they seized his mobile phone in his bedroom. It was examined and the images were discovered.

Judge Rachael Harrison told Crombie: “Every person who looks at indecent images of children contributes to these children being abused – that is what you do. If you come back, you should assume you will go to immediate prison.”

Ms Hollis said the police found relevant internet search terms along with 56 category A images, 18 category B images, 55 category C images, including youngsters aged between six and 16 – with the category A images being the most serious. She added that officers also found an image depicting extreme pornography.

Crombie, of Redbourne Road, Bentley, Doncaster, originally claimed to police he had received the images and he had downloaded them, despite the discovery of relevant search terms.

The defendant, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children relating to categories A, B and C and to one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image from between January, 2019, to November, 2021.

Rebecca Tanner, defending, said: “He accepts there has been a problem and he should not have been accessing that material and he does accept the searches referred to were done by him in the course of his interest in that material.”

Judge Harrison sentenced Crombie to a two-year community order with a rehabilitation requirement, a sex-offender treatment programme, and a residence order to remain at the same address. Crombie was also made subject to the Sex Offenders Register and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Judge Harrison told Crombie if he fails to complete his order or commits this kind of offending again he will go to jail and she added: “If you come back before this court you will go to prison. There will be no second chance.”