Sellafield officer jailed over indecent images

Shaun Mandale admitted six charges relating to making and possessing indecent images

A Sellafield-based police officer who amassed more than 18,000 indecent photographs of children being sexually abused has been jailed.

Shaun Mandale accessed abuse material showing victims including babies, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

The 45-year-old of Belvedere Street, Workington, admitted six charges relating to making and possessing indecent images.

Mandale has now been sentenced to 33 months in prison.

The judge also ordered him to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

The court was told Mandale deployed a variety of methods including the use of virtual private networks (VPN) and privacy browsers to conceal both his identity and illegal activities.

These came to light on 10 January when officers raided his home and seized several mobile phones, laptop computers and media storage devices.

Innocent family photographs, along with pictures of Mandale, were among the child sex abuse material.

'Too distressing'

A total of 7,886 images in category A - the most serious - were found along with 2,597 in category B and 7,651 in category C.

Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson said: "The description of images is far too distressing to read in open court."

In addition, 96 extreme pornographic images involving animals and 52 prohibited images of children - CGI pictures depicting abuse - were located.

Brendan Burke, defending, said the offending had had a "devastating" impact on Mandale's life, including the loss of his wife.

He was a man of previous good character, Mr Burke said, had carried out charity work in the past, and had taken recent steps to address his criminal conduct.

Judge Ian Unsworth KC described it as a "worrying" case.

He said: "That these acts were committed by someone of your age, with your background, with no previous convictions and with the responsibility and professional role you had, makes it all the more bewildering.

After the case, CNC Chief Constable Simon Chesterman said: "Whatever your occupation, the making and possession of child abuse images is repugnant, to learn of a police officer in possession of such images is truly shocking.

"On behalf of the CNC, I can say that we are angry, upset and sickened by his vile actions."