Aaron Nursaw (28) claimed the material had been downloaded automatically – but later pleaded guilty to making, possessing and distributing indecent images, as well as possessing cannabis.
During a Royal Court hearing yesterday, the Bailiff, Tim Le Cocq, said the court always viewed cases of this nature as very serious.
On delivering the sentence, he said: ‘These cases have real victims. Real children have to undergo the abuse that feeds this appetite.
‘The court always views indecent images in this way with great seriousness.’
Crown Advocate Conrad Yates, prosecuting, explained how in January, Nursaw was asleep when his girlfriend came across the images while searching his phone.
She said some of the ‘disturbing images’ were of naked children and they made her feel sick. She went to the police and Nursaw was arrested. He claimed to officers that he had been sent the links by a third party in the US and pictures had automatically saved onto his phone, and his device had been hacked.
He said he went on a website called ‘Free Chat Now’ to speak to girls, but denied speaking to under-age girls. He denied having any interest in under-age girls.
Nursaw’s now ex-girlfriend called the police again after discovering cannabis, which totalled 1.89 grams.
His iPhone was examined and found to contain 68 indecent images. A further 253 images were found on a Samsung phone, comprising 173 still images and 80 moving images. In total, 13 of the images were put in categories four and five – the two most serious.
Further examinations of devices found he had been sending images and seeking images in return on the messenger platform Kik.
In further interviews he insisted the images were automatically downloaded and he had no interest in ‘kids and stuff’.
He said: ‘I don’t even like kids. I’m not into really young ones at all. I’m not that type of person.’
Crown Advocate Yates added there was no evidence to show the phone had been hacked and he moved for a sentence of three years in prison.
Advocate George Pearce, defending, said his client had pleaded guilty to all charges.
References from family members described him as a hard-working family man and said the offences were out of character.
Advocate Pearce added: ‘He accepts what he has done and he is responsible for his actions.
He said at the end of his sentence he planned to move back to Liverpool to be near his family.
The Bailiff added: ‘The sentence moved for by the Crown isn’t anything other than correct. These are very serious offences.’
