Wigan man had vile pictures of child abuse on computer

Bolton Crown Court heard that, acting on intelligence, police raided Francis Penman’s home in Beech Hill Lane, Beech Hill, and seized IT equipment.

On it they found indecent images of youngsters, five of which fell into the most serious category of abuse: A.

Another seven pictures were categorised as B and 29 as C.

Pleading guilty to the charges, the unemployed 49-year-old was given a four-month prison sentence which was suspended for 24 months.

Penman was also hit with a seven-year sexual harm prevention order, ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge and forfeited his computer equipment.