Police seized 4,192 child porn images

Police found nearly 800 child porn files of the most serious nature on computer equipment belonging to Lee Wilding.

Prosecutor Katie Beattie told Wigan and Leigh magistrates that the images mainly portrayed children who were aged 10 to 15.

“But some ranged down to six months,” she added.

Wilding, 41, of Gorman Street, pleaded guilty to making 799 indecent photos, of the most serious level of indecency.

He also admitted to two further offences, relating to a further 3,193 child porn pictures, and one charge of possession of extreme pornographic material involving sex with a dog.

Miss Beattie said it was the prosecution’s case that the charges were too serious to be dealt with by magistrates, given the likely sentence on conviction.

Melissa Fagan, defending, said it was accepted by her client, who has now previous criminal convictions, that the case could not be dealt with on a summary basis.

She told the court the offences had a sentencing range of between six months and three years custody and it had to be conceded that a number of images, at the highest level of severity, had been discovered.

Magistrates committed Wilding for sentence at Bolton Crown Court, on January 17, on unconditional bail.

Pre-sentence reports were also ordered by the bench but no interim reporting notification, under the terms of the sex offenders register, has been imposed before the next hearing.