AS a national charity releases figures showing the number calls from people tempted to view child abuse images has doubled, The Northern Echo has looked at some people who have been convicted of the crime.

Stop It Now! has also relaunched its self-help website for people worried about their own online viewing behaviour.

  • A Darlington man was given a suspended sentence at Teesside Crown Court for attempting to groom a young girl, who was in fact an adult woman. A group of paedophile hunters tracked down Ian David Smith to the warehouse he worked in after he sent a picture of his genitals to a girl he believed to be 12-years-old. Smith, of Station Road, Middleton St George, near Darlington, pleaded guilty to three charges; possessing indecent images of children, distributing indecent images of children and engaging in sexual communication with a child.
  • Ian Whiting was caught with thousands of indecent images. The 33-year-old, now of Bedlington but formerly of Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images with 14 of the most serious category A images, 36 category B and 7,405 images in category C. He also pleaded guilty a charge of possessing 16 extreme pornography images. Whiting was sentenced to eight months in custody for the most serious of offence but it was suspended for two years.
  • Martin Smith, of Pennyroyal Road, Stockton, was caught with a 'relatively' small number of child abuse images on his mobile phone, which also had software downloaded enabling him to film young girls without it showing on his screen. The 36-year-old, who the court heard had changed his name by deed poll, was given a two-year suspended sentence and ordered to carry out 40 rehabilitation activity requirement days to address his offending.
  • Stewart Tivendale, of The Crescent, Middlesbrough, downloaded child sex abuse videos and pictures within 24 hours of being released from prison. The 24-year-old was sentenced for an extended period of five years as he had already served three years for previous offences.

Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chief's Council lead on child protection, said: "Anyone who is having inappropriate thoughts about children should seek help from Stop It Now!, otherwise they should expect a visit from police officers.”