A man who downloaded hundreds of child sex abuse images was spared an immediate jail sentence.

Benjamin Smith, also known by the surname Lisle, 27, confessed almost immediately to amassing the vile image collection when police officers visited the home he shared with his parents in March last year.

When his iPad was trawled-through by police forensics specialists, they discovered 279 images in the most serious category – including one image showing a six-year-old girl being raped. He had a further 106 images in category B and 426 in the lowest category.

Sentencing him at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday, Recorder Michael Roques said: “Your counsel urges me to consider the impact your conviction is going to have on you for the rest of your life.

“But I can guarantee it’s not going to have as big an impact as being raped at the age of six will have on that child.

“You have now come to realise you viewing these images in the privacy of your bedroom is not a victimless crime.

“If it were not for the fact there was a market of people wanting to view these images, the children would not be abused in order for the images to be created.”

Smith’s advocate, Angus McWilliams, detailed the efforts his client had made to address his interest in the indecent material.

So far, he had completed half a dozen sessions with a specialist therapist. He planned to continue attending the sessions into the new year.

Still a young man, he had admitted his offending at a very early stage on his arrest and had had to wait more than a year for the case to reach court, Mr McWilliams said.

Smith, of Manor Place, Oxford, pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of indecent images of children. He had no previous convictions.

Recorder Roques said that, in considering whether Smith could receive a suspended sentence, he had to balance the seriousness of the offending against the prospect of rehabilitation in the community.

“The real question is whether or not there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and in my view in this case there is and just – only just – does that outweigh the need to send you to prison immediately,” the judge said.

He imposed a year’s imprisonment suspended for 18 months, with 200 hours of unpaid work and up to 20 sessions with the probation service. Smith must pay £425 in costs and abide by a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He will be a registered sex offender for a decade.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

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