Southampton Man Jailed for Hoarding Over 47,000 Child Abuse Images
A 57-year-old Southampton man has been locked up for 14 months after being caught with a massive stash of indecent images of children.
Massive haul of sick images found on devices
William McDowall, of Shirley Road, pled guilty to multiple charges, including making indecent photos or pseudo-photos of children, possessing prohibited images, and even owning extreme pornographic pictures involving animals.
Police swooped on his home on July 30, 2021, seizing two laptops and a hard drive. Forensic analysis showed a staggering 47,517 indecent images saved across his devices, dating from March 2012 to July 2021.
Thousands of category A images reveal horrific abuse
Among these were 9,294 Category A images – the worst kind, showing babies, toddlers, and teenagers being abused. A few sick shots also involved acts of bestiality.
McDowall shockingly admitted to police he had been viewing these vile images online for 20 years and described himself as a “lurker.”
Sentenced to prison and slapped with long-term restrictions
The court handed down a 14-month prison term, plus a ten-year stint on the sex offenders register. On top of that, McDowall received a ten-year prison sentence for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
“McDowall had an extremely large collection of indecent images, and some of the children depicted were as young as 12 months old,” said PC Sarah Tickner of the Internet Child Abuse Team.
“While he expressed regret, he poses a clear risk to children. I’m relieved he is now behind bars. Upon release, he will face stringent conditions.”
“This investigation shows our dedication to protecting children and that offenders will be brought to justice.”
