Paedophile with 'vile' baby abuse picture jailed

Gordon Hamilton admitted multiple child sex offences

A paedophile caught with almost 2,000 child sex abuse images, including a "vile" photo of a newborn baby being abused, has been jailed for more than two years.

Gordon Hamilton, 70, had previously been given a suspended sentence for having such pictures and made subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), Newcastle Crown Court heard.

During a routine visit, officers found he had collected more images and was using a private web-browsing app that did not keep its search history which was a breach of his order.

Hamilton, of Newcastle, who initially claimed the images were "planted by the police", admitted breaching the order and three counts of making indecent images of children.

He was jailed for a year, suspended for two years, in July 2022 and made subject to a 10-year long sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), prosecutor Jade Bucklow said.

Part of that order required him to tell police about any internet-enabled devices he had and to keep his search history, the court heard.

On 26 October 2023, police visited his home for a review and found he had a mobile phone with the private browsing app installed, Ms Bucklow said.

The phone, his computer and hard drive were taken away for analysis with officers finding hundreds of indecent images of children, the court heard.

'Deep-seated interest'

There were 74 in the most serious category, including one of a visibly distressed baby believed to be less than a month old being abused, the court heard, with 47 in the next category and 1,786 at the least serious level.

The ages of the children ranged from the baby up to 12 years old, Ms Bucklow said.

In mitigation, the court heard Hamilton had served in the Army for 12 years, including in Northern Ireland during the 1970s, and claimed he committed the offences "out of boredom" after becoming isolated.

Recorder Thomas Moran said Hamilton had carried on downloading indecent images of children even after being given a chance with a suspended sentence order.

The judge said the image of the baby was "particularly vile" and Hamilton had told probation officers the pictures had been "planted by the police".

"That was an absurd and desperate claim so you could hide from the true position which is that you are someone with a deep-seated sexual interest in children," Recorder Moran told Hamilton.

The full year of the suspended sentence was activated and Hamilton was given a further 14 months for the new offences, making a total of two years and two months.