Norwich 'pillar' of the community spared jail over indecent images

Police discovered Peter Giles had uploaded an indecent image of a child to a social media site.

Norwich Crown Court heard this resulted in officers executing a search warrant at his Taverham address during which they seized devices.

Norwich Crown Court (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest)Peter Page, prosecuting, said after these were examined, they were found to contain more than 800 indecent images of children, including 215 category A, the most serious.

There were also 253 category B images and 333 category C images.

Also found following the raid on March 5, 2020, were conversations Giles had with others on social media discussing a "sexual interest in children".

Giles had distributed one category A image, six category B and eight category C in 2020.

Giles, of The Street, Taverham, appeared at court on Thursday having admitted three counts of making indecent photographs of children and three of distributing indecent images of children.

The offences occurred between 2015 and 2020. 

Damien Moore, mitigating,  said Giles should receive full credit for his pleas to the offences which were "wholly outside of his character" for a man who is "adored by his family".

He said Giles was a man of "impeccable character", a "pillar of the local community" and a "respected friend of many".

Mr Moore said people would be "shocked" to hear or read about these offences and insisted Giles understood the seriousness of them.

The court was told Giles was "disgusted" and "ashamed" of his behaviour but said his family had forgiven him, for which he would be "forever grateful".

Mr Moore said since his arrest, in 2020, when "his world came crashing down", Giles had not offended.

Imposing a 22-month prison sentence, suspended for 24 months, Judge Katharine Moore said Giles had come "within a hair's breadth" of going to prison.

Judge Katharine Moore (Image: Newsquest)She said such offences "almost always attract sentences of immediate imprisonment" but took into account his pleas and his "hitherto good character".

Giles was also given 25 days Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR), 200 hours unpaid work and put on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.