A young pervert who was caught with child sex abuse videos has walked free from court.

Joshua Dixon’s home was raided by police following a tip-off and officers recovered a mobile phone with three disturbing child abuse videos or images saved to its memory.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 24-year-old had downloaded a Category A video – the most serios category – from the Kik social media app in September 2022.

Tabitha Buck, prosecuting, said Dixon also downloaded the Category B and C videos in November of the same year.

Miss buck said the videos showed children aged around ten to 11 being sexually abused.

Dixon, of Belmont Avenue, Billingham, pleaded guilty to three charges of possession of indecent images of children following the raid on December 8 last year.

Tom Bennett, mitigating, said despite his client telling the probation service that he hadn’t downloaded or watched the videos his client now accepts that he had done it.

Judge Paul Watson KC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, sentenced Dixon to a two-year community order and told him he must attend 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.

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He said: “You have no previous convictions and I am dealing with you for three offences – one Category A video and possessing images in Category B and C.

“You had these in your possession between September 2022 and November 2022 – that’s more than 15 months ago now and there has been no further offending since then.

“You were at a low point in your life but that doesn’t excuse your behaviour.”

The judge also imposed a two-year sexual harm prevention order and told the defendant he would have to sign on the sex offenders’ register for five years.