The Range staff call in Leeds police after child abuse images found on USB stick
The device belonged to son of unsuspecting worker
A paedophile was caught after a USB stick containing sickening abuse images was found by staff at a Leeds branch of The Range.
The flash drive had been plugged into the computer at the store in Hunslet, and triggered an IT alert due to the content.
The staff member who brought in the stick was arrested, but it transpired he had grabbed it from home and it had belonged to his son, Leeds Crown Court heard.
The son, Jamie Thompson, was arrested and later charged with two counts of possessing indecent images and one of possessing prohibited images.
The 23-year-old denied the offences but was found guilty after trial, prosecutor Benjamin Bell said.
The gruesome find happened in November 2023. Police unearthed one Category B image, one Category C image and 694 prohibited photos of children, which were computer generated images of children.
Officers also found search terms indicative of an interest in child abuse when they analysed Thompson’s internet devices.
Thompson, of Lynwood Crescent, Lower Wortley, claimed he was not responsible and others had access to the USB stick.
Mitigating, Ian Hudson said there were a low number of images and that Thompson was only 20 at the time and not offended before or since.
He conceded that Thompson was still in denial and had a “gritty determination to stick to his own views come what may”.
The judge, Recorder David Gordon said Thompson’s explanations given at trial were “implausible” and told him directly: “You have a sexual interest in children.”
He told him he “fully deserved” to face prison, but took into account his lack of maturity, that he was suspected to have autism and dyspraxia and had a “limited” social life.
He gave him an 18-month community order with a probation requirement. He did not give him unpaid work because of a knee injury sustained by Thompson.
Thompson was put on the sex offender register for five years and given a five-year sexual harm prevention order to curb his internet use and allow it to be monitored by police.