66-year-old Leonard Elsby from Ipswich spared jail after being found with 16 indecent movies of children

A 66-year-old Ipswich man has been given a suspended prison sentence after admitting downloading pornographic movies featuring children.

Leonard Elsby, of Campbell Road, Ipswich, was arrested after Interpol informed Suffolk police that information leading to Elsby’s computer had been found on a file-sharing programme.

Officers went to his home on May 1 this year where he was arrested.

During his police interview Elsby admitted viewing indecent images of children through the file-sharing programme.

He also said he had been doing so for around a year.

Officers found 16 Level A movies on a USB stick while searching his property.

Previously indecent images were graded one to five on the Copine Scale with one being the least serious. This scale has now been changed to Category A to Category C, with A being the most serious. On the old grading system the 16 movies would have been at level four.

Other images were also said to have been found on Elsby’s computer. Prior to his Ipswich Crown Court sentencing Elsby had admitted a charge of making an indecent photograph/pseudo photograph of a child.

Elsby was given a 15-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, when he appeared before Judge Peters Assistant Judge Advocate General.

He was also given a 12-month supervision order and a six-month curfew between 6pm and 8am.

In addition Elsby was made subject to the requirements of the Sex Offences Act for 10 years.