A man found with images and videos of child sexual abuse on his phone was given a suspended sentence.
Mark Eastham, 35, of Clieves Road, Kirkby amitted one count of possessing indecent images of children, one count of making category A indecent images of childre, and one count of making category C indecent images of children. At Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, Olivia Beesley, prosecuting, said that on August 7, last year, Eastham was arrested by police as he was wanted for an unrelated matter, and despite efforts to escape he was detained.
He had an Oppo mobile phone to his ear when he was arrested, which was captured on bodycam footage, and during a police interview he confirmed the phone was his. It was examined by specialist officers and found to contain 46 images and 30 videos of children, showing the abuse of young boys aged from nine upwards, some of whom were restrained.
READ MORE: Connor Chapman pleads not guilty to murder of Elle Edwards outside Lighthouse pub
The father-of-one also had images of young boys' feet. Police arrested him in relation to these charges in October last year at his partner's address, where he was found with a Samsung phone, which was also examined.
The Samsung contained no indecent images but various searches of concern including for “children’s feet” were found. Ms Beesley added that Eastham’s most previous conviction was in relation to a breach of a non-molestation order last year.
Gareth Roberts, defending, told the court that his client had various significant mental health issues including autism, depression, anxiety, and alcohol and substance abuse dependencies. He also emphasised that though Eastham had several previous convictions, he stayed out of trouble between 2014 and 2022, which he said was due to him escaping his addiction to cocaine and being in a stable relationship.
Mr Roberts said that relationship broke down, and Eastham lost his job due to coronavirus, and so began to drink heavily every day which exacerbated his mental health difficulties. He said his client’s guilty plea “reflects his understanding that what he did was wrong.”
Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: “Feet seem to be part of some fetish in these images.
“What people like you do is feed on the miserable industry of exploiting young children and those children are traumatised and affected.
“Without people like you wanting to access this material, it would be an industry that would entirely collapse.”
Eastham was sentenced to nine months imprisonment suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 25 rehabilitation requirement days, a sex offender programme and alcohol treatment programme.
He will be subject to notification requirements and must comply with a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.
READ NEXT
Dad, 37, dies after irritable bowel syndrome turned out to be cancer
How a line of cocaine at the weekend connects to Olivia's murder
'We're being targeted' - coffee shop smashed up three times in two weeks
Woman accused of murdering partner tells court 'sometimes I can be a cow'
