A PERVERT who search the dark web for images of dead children being raped has been branded ‘utterly depraved’ when he was sentenced for his sickening behaviour.

John Grant stashed the horrendous images on a USB memory stick after downloading them while he was living at his elderly parents home.

The 58-year-year-old had saved at least three images and videos of unidentified men raping the dead bodies of children aged from a teenager down to a baby, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Recorder Gurdial Singh told Grant that he must have ‘searched high and low for these images’ as they are not readily available on the internet.

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He said: “It’s right to say that seasoned officer, who categorised them, said the images are deeply disturbing – they show the rape of dead children and the other children being raped appear to be in some distress.

“He added this ‘these are some of most extreme images seen by me and my colleagues in our forensic careers’ that really says all that needs to be said.”

Imposing an eight-months custodial sentence, the judge added: “A deterrent sentence has to be imposed given the utterly depraved nature of those images.”

Uzma Khan, prosecuting, told the court how his USB memory stick was searched by specially trained police officers and accepted that he was responsible for any images stored on it.

In police interview, the defendant said: “There’s no point lying. I wish I hadn’t done it – I’m disgusted with myself; it has ruined everything.”

Miss Khan outlined the details of the most sickening images describing how they included one of baby girl being raped, a deceased teenager, young girl, and baby, being raped or sexually abused.

Grant, of Eden Crest, Darlington, pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of indecent images of children – six in Category A, the most serious offence, 47 in Category B and 47 in Category C, following the raid at his address in March 2021.

Amrit Jandoo, in mitigation, said his client had no previous convictions but his daughter had attended court to support her father even though she was ‘wholly shocked’ by his offending.

He said Grant accepted that he had searched the 'dark web' to find the images before downloading them.

Grant was also made subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.

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