Convicted sex offender found with dozens of 'disgusting' images of children

A convicted sex offender was found with dozens of "disgusting" images of children after he continued his obsession with them and failed to learn his lesson from being jailed for previous similar offences.

His "despicable" behaviour helped to fuel the abuse of children that caused "lifelong harm" to them. He now understood the serious damage to children that was caused by the vile trade, Hull Crown Court heard.

Scott Lister, 53, of Ferndale Terrace, Bridlington, admitted three offences of making indecent images of children between July 7, 2021 and March 18, 2022 and another of breaching a sexual harm prevention order on March 17, 2022.

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Amber Hobson, prosecuting, said that police were given information about indecent images of children being downloaded and seized a memory stick and a phone belonging to Lister.

There were 66 images and 71 videos on the memory stick. They included 10 images in the most serious Category A, nine in Category B and 47 in Category C. The videos included 28 in Category A, 21 in Category B and 22 in Category C.

On the phone, there were eight images in Category A, five in Category B and one in Category C. There were 17 videos, including six in Category A, six in Category B and five in Category C.

During police interview, Lister denied having a sexual interest in children. He claimed that he did not specifically seek out images of children but that he did look at areas of the internet where such material was. He claimed that he might have been intoxicated at the time.

Lister had convictions for 21 previous offences, including similar offences in 2016, when he had been given a sexual harm prevention order for life. He was in breach of that order by committing the latest offences.

Holly Thompson, mitigating, said that Lister had taken a long time to come to terms with the fact that he had a sexual interest in children but he realised the "disgusting and despicable nature of the offending" and that it affected the most vulnerable people in society.

He was "under absolutely no illusion" about the prison sentence that he faced and the offences were a "form of self-medication for him" but he knew, with hindsight, that it was not acceptable. He had been jailed previously.

Lister had been working self-employed, building models for war games that he provided to the public and to museums. "After his release from custody, he did battle public perception of the offence," said Miss Thompson.

Lister had struggled with isolation and alcohol misuse. "His alcohol usage is now zero," said Miss Thompson. "He understands what the difficulties are in his head.

"He is understanding of the harm to children who are depicted in the pornography, which is something that he has struggled with previously. He is now aware of the impact on others."

Judge John Thackray KC told Lister: "This is not a victimless crime – far from it. It's people like you, viewing this disgusting material, your actions, which fuels the abuse of children, causing lifelong damage to them.

"You have proved that your risk cannot be managed in the community. You have gone on to commit serious offences. Only appropriate punishment can be achieved by way of an immediate custodial sentence."

Lister, who had been on bail, was jailed for 14 months.