Peterborough paedophile sentenced after indecent images of children found in arm chair

A convicted paedophile has been sentenced after his former landlord found a USB stick containing thousands of indecent images hidden in an armchair.
Court news. NNL-170524-154443005Court news. NNL-170524-154443005
Court news. NNL-170524-154443005

Leslie Dew, 65, was convicted of indecent image offences in May 2018 and handed a three-year community order and placed on the Sex Offender’s Register.

On 21 December 2018 the landlord of his Peterborough flat decided to sell the property and asked Dew to move out.

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Two days later the landlord went to check on the flat and saw a white armchair which Dew hadn’t taken with him so disassembled it to give to a friend.

While reassembling the chair a USB stick fell out, which the landlord handed into police after becoming suspicious of the content he found on it.

Officers forensically examined the device and found indecent images saved on it which had last been accessed while Dew had been living in the flat alone.

He was arrested at his new address in Stanground, Peterborough, on 14 June, where further indecent images were found on nine CDs.

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In total Dew was caught with 42 category A images, the most severe, 59 category B, 2,265 category C and one extreme image.

He was again arrested on 22 January and remanded to appear at court, where he admitted to three counts of making indecent images and possessing an extreme pornographic image.

At Peterborough Crown Court yesterday (16 April) Dew was handed a 12-month community order, as well as a further five years on the Sex Offender’s Register and made to forfeit the devices for destruction.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Harding said: “A child is victimised not only when an indecent image is taken, but also every time it is viewed or shared.

“Thanks to Dew’s sentence we will be able to continue to monitor his behaviour online, minimising further risk to the public.”