A paedophile who likened his vile online viewing habits to “watching television” has been jailed for downloading and distributing a “huge” number of indecent images of children.
Toby Ivison, 33, from New Lane, Huntington, York, downloaded thousands of depraved images of children, some very young – and shared many of them with like-minded individuals, York Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Michael Cahill said that Ivison – who had a sexual interest in “extremely young children and animals” – was first arrested in July 2020 after police received a tip-off from someone who shared his home.
They seized two mobile phones and an iPad on which they found 3,076 indecent images of children. Of these, 1,024 were rated Category A – the worst kind of such material involving serious sexual abuse.
There were also 45 prohibited or cartoon images of children and at least 75 extreme pornographic images involving bestiality.
Analysis of Ivison’s Samsung mobile revealed a particularly disturbing online chat between him and an unnamed woman, culminating in her performing a lewd act on herself in front of her young child for the viewing pleasure of Ivison, said Mr Cahill.
Her username was identified by police and safeguarding action was taken regarding the child. She too was under investigation, said Mr Cahill.
Following disturbing chats on Whatsapp and the KIK messenger app, Ivison “received and sent child sexual-abuse images”.
After the discovery of this material, he was arrested again in June last year when police turned up at his home a second time and seized his mobile phone, which showed more evidence that he had been distributing illicit images.
Ivison told them he wasn’t a “monster” and had struggled since the death of his father.
Clearly distressed
He ultimately admitted 11 separate offences including three counts of making indecent images of children, three counts of distributing indecent images, two counts of possessing extreme pornography, two counts of publishing an obscene article and possessing prohibited images of minors.
Ivison appeared for sentence today (Wednesday, May 4) in an extremely distressed state, knowing jail was all but certain.
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The court heard that he had four previous convictions including public disorder but hitherto nothing of a sexual nature.
Laura Addy, mitigating, said that according to Ivison, his viewing of the warped material on screen, remotely, was “almost like watching television” and that it “didn’t appear real”.
She said Ivison had been getting help from charitable organisations for “those addicted to pornography, which is what this defendant was and where it all started”.
She said that Ivison – whose fiancée had lost a baby late in pregnancy – had been chatting with like-minded individuals while “in drink”.
Judge Simon Hickey told Ivison: “There were a huge number of photographs that were distributed to others. There are a large number of children (featured in the videos) who are clearly distressed and a great number of very young children.”
He described the chats between Ivison and the unnamed woman, who “readily entered into what was going on”, as “concerning”.
Jailing Ivison for two-and-a-half years, the judge said he was a risk to children.
Ivison was also ordered to sign on the sex-offenders’ register for life and made subject to a sexual-harm prevention order, also for an indefinite period, mainly to curb his internet activities.