Police track down internet sex offender with indecent photos of children

Officers tracked down an internet sex offender after he was caught during a police operation for distributing and making indecent photos of children.
Chesterfield magistrates' court.Chesterfield magistrates' court.
Chesterfield magistrates' court.

Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard today, Thursday, September 15, how John Carnall, 67, of Leabrooks Road, Somercotes, Alfreton, was snared by Greater Manchester Police during an operation that targeted people using the internet for sexual offences.

Prosecuting solicitor Robert Carr said: “These offences came to light as part of a Greater Manchester Police operation. They have evidence of people making images of children and making them available to others over the internet by a peer-to-peer network.

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“This led them to an address which was visited by police in February and Carnall was there and he made admissions to the police of being responsible for these images.”

Police inspected Carnall’s computer equipment and discovered 28 category A images, 13 category B images and 63 category C images of children including 21 movies, according to Mr Carr.

Carnall accepted to police that he had used a laptop and no one else but him had downloaded any of the images concerned to the network.

The defendant also told police he had shared some of these images and he had been downloading these images for some time.

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Carnall pleaded guilty to distributing an indecent photo at Leabrooks Road between December 17, 2013 and February 3, 2016.

He also admitted three counts of making indecent photos at Leabrooks Road between the same dates concerning the 28 category A images, the 13 category B images and the 63 category C images.

Mr Carr added: “The defendant accepted it had been going on for over about six years. He said he was disgusted with himself and realised what he had done was wrong.”

District Judge Andrew Davison committed Carnall’s case to Derby Crown Court for sentencing on October 6.

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He told Carnall: “You have accepted responsibility and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and all this will be taken into account and you will be given appropriate credit in crown court.

“These are serious allegations and the powers of this court are inadequate and therefore you will be committed to appear at Derby Crown Court.”

Carnall was released on conditional bail until his sentencing on the grounds he does not have unsupervised contact with anyone aged under 18.

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