Convicted sex offender caught with 'awful' child images on his computer after police visit to his Sunderland home

David Armstrong, 74, was found with two prohibited images of children and one of extreme pornography.

Armstrong, formerly of Roker Terrace, Roker, was caught when police visited his home in January 2020 and removed his laptop.

A forensic check revealed the three cartoon-type images, prosecutor Niamh Reading told magistrates in South Tyneside.

Ms Reading said the prohibited images showed children as young as seven.

The court heard Armstrong was convicted in 2011 of being in possession of five indecent images of children, and in 2015 of six.

For the second offence, Armstrong, who moved to Sunderland from Wiltshire, was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which runs until 2025.

At his latest court hearing, he pleaded guilty to possession of an indecent image of a child on May 13, 2020, in Sunderland.

And he admitted possessing an extreme pornographic image of a sexual act with an animal on June 27, 2020.

Greg Flaxen, defending, said Armstrong had gone seven years without reoffending, and claimed the sex images had “slipped through”.

He also asked magistrates to retain sentencing instead of sending Armstrong to be dealt with at Newcastle Crown Court, which has greater powers.

Mr Flaxen added: “He accepts that he has a lot of images on his computer, all legally, and unfortunately two or three images have slipped through the net.

“We have a gentleman who has been seven years in the clear and has slipped back in. He will say they have accidentally slipped through.

“He was previously in a different part of the country and Wiltshire Police were looking after him.”

Tony Hewitson, chair of the bench, told Armstrong the images were “very unacceptable, awful” – and committed him to the crown court for sentencing.

Armstrong will be sentenced on Tuesday, February 22.