Man with 'abhorrent' images on phone is jailed

A man with more than 1,000 indecent images of children on his phone told a court an unnamed drug dealer had uploaded them.

Finlay Moorcroft, 23, of High Street, Sawston, Cambridgeshire, was arrested last year after the pictures were linked to his email address.

Det Sgt Julia Boon, of Cambridgeshire Police, described the material as "abhorrent examples of child abuse".

Moorcroft admitted six counts of making indecent images of children and was jailed for two years and two months at Peterborough Crown Court.

The hearing was told how when officers searched Moorcroft's home they seized two mobile phones.

One had 1,179 indecent images of children and one video.

More than 100 of the images and the video were classed as category A – the most severe.

The second phone was too damaged to retrieve any information.

Moorcroft claimed a drug dealer had taken his phone on several occasions and said the dealer must have uploaded the images.

He refused to name the person and further investigation found the phone had been near Moorcroft's home when some of the images were downloaded.

Moorcroft was arrested again after police received further information relating to another device which contained a further 50 indecent images of children.

He was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the sex offenders register for ten years.

Det Sgt Julia Boon added: "Moorcroft is a persistent offender who clearly didn't change his behaviour after he was arrested on the first occasion.

"The images and video found on his devices were abhorrent examples of child abuse.

"I'm pleased he has now been brought to justice.

"Protecting children is one of our top priorities. We will continue to work tirelessly to do all we can to prosecute those who prey on them."

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