Paedophile found with 9,000 indecent images and videos given suspended sentence

Scott Gowland (43) was caught after police were told his IP address had been used to access illegal content online.

Officers raided his home in Essex Road, Huntingdon, on January 11 last year and found more than 8,500 prohibited images and 500 prohibited videos, with 19 of the videos classed as category ‘A’, the most severe.

He was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, and handed a 10 year sexual harm prevention order at Peterborough Crown Court yesterday (Thursday) after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images and possession of a prohibited image of a child.

DC Gareth Purdy said: “The sheer amount of illegal material found on Gowland’s devices is concerning.

“Children are victimised not only when they are abused and an image is first taken, but repeatedly every time that image is viewed.

“Thanks to this sentence we will have the necessary powers to monitor his online activity for the next 10 years, minimising the risk of further harm to the public.”

Anyone who is concerned someone may have been convicted of a sex offence, and could be posing a risk to someone, can apply for disclosure information through Clare’s Law and Sarah’s Law.