Antony Woods, 69, of Newcastle, awaits sentencing after admitting to possessing child abuse images collected over five years.
Woods, age 69, downloaded them for five years, between 2017 and 2022. Now, he must register as a sex offender and awaits his sentence after admitting guilt in court.
Brian Payne, the prosecutor, spoke in court, relaying that police searched Woods’ place in 2022. They took computers and storage devices, where they found many bad images.
The court learned about the images: Woods had seven category A images, the worst kind, along with one B image and 972 category C images. He even had one prohibited image of a child.
Jack Lovell defended Woods, stating that Woods admitted his guilt promptly and had no prior convictions. The judge wants a pre-sentence report to help decide the sentence.
The judge spoke to Woods directly, acknowledging his guilty plea and promising credit for that. The judge wants probation to interview Woods and make a report.
The judge said reports don’t indicate the final sentence, explaining all options remained open, including a Crown Court sentence.
Woods is now free on bail and will return to court on March 24. He must sign the Sex Offenders’ Register now at his local police station.