Paedophile downloaded more than 200 indecent images of children after avoiding prison for same offence
A paedophile downloaded more than 200 indecent images of children after avoiding a prison sentence for the same offence.
Martin Sparks, 47, was convicted when police found he had 213 of the most serious category of child sex images.
He was caught while serving a suspended sentence after being convicted of downloading indecent images of children in 2018.
Police searched Sparks’s home in Redbridge, east London, on 18 June after a tip-off and discovered he had downloaded pictures shared by other paedophiles using peer-to-peer software.
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When he was taken to a nearby police station and searched in custody, two USB storage devices were found hidden in his shoes, the Met Police said.
Sparks initially denied any knowledge of illegal online activity when officers raided his home but when questioned further he admitted breaches of his previous Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and having downloaded and viewed child abuse images.
During the search of his address, officers seized a computer tower that Sparks used to download the illegal images.
Officers also found a tablet, which was a breach of the judge's order because it was not declared to his Public Protection Unit manager, police said.
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Another breach was for connecting to his home router to use the internet when he downloaded the images.
A total of 233 "category A" – the most serious – child abuse videos and 17 "category B" pictures were found on the USBs.
Sparks told police that when he heard officers enter his house, he went to hide the USBs and decided to put them in his shoes.
The defendant admitted all the offences during his interview and he was charged on 19 June.
He was previously jailed for two years, suspended for two years, and an SHPO was issued by the judge until “further order” after his previous offence.
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At Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday, Sparks pleaded guilty to five counts of breaching an SHPO, making indecent images of children.
Detective Constable James Cavenham, the investigating officer, said: “Sparks is now facing time behind bars after committing the same hideous offence once again.
“The evidence we gathered against him meant he had no option but to plead guilty.
Sparks is due to be sentenced for his latest conviction at Snaresbrook Crown Court in August.
