A MAN has been jailed for possessing and distributing indecent photographs of children after an investigation by North Yorkshire Police.

Jamie Lock, 21 and originally from Hartlepool, was jailed for a total of 18 months following a four-day trial at York Crown Court.

Lock, who was living in Tockwith, near York, at the time of his arrest in June 2015, admitted making and possessing hundreds of indecent photographs of children, including 58 still images and 61 moving images of category “A” - the most serious classification.

At the beginning of the trial he denied distributing indecent photographs of children, but was found guilty after the court was told he had been selling the images online, and getting paid for doing so.

He will also be on the sex offenders register for ten years and subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Lock was charged following a painstaking examination of his computer equipment and his online accounts.

Detective Constable Vincent Formosa said: “A child is victimised not only when they are abused and an image is taken – they are re-victimised every time that image is viewed by someone.

“This case sends a clear message that the internet is not a safe anonymous space for sharing indecent images of children. Those that access such images – and those who seek to profit from their distribution – should know that they can and will be traced and prosecuted.”

  • Anyone with concerns about someone’s online activity can report it to Child Exploitation and Online Protection, via www.ceop.police.uk or to the police by calling 101.

CEOP’s Thinkuknow programme provides information for children, young people, parents and carers about staying safe online and preventing sexual abuse and exploitation.