January 17, 2020 3.15 pm This story is over 50 months old

Lincoln paedophile caught when he left laptop at Cash Converters

Police raided his home and found more images
He was caught out when he left his laptop with staff at Cash Converters. Stock photo: Google

A pensioner who downloaded thousands of indecent images of children was caught out when he took his laptop to Cash Converters, a court was told on Friday, January 17.

Brynley Allen left the laptop at the store in Lincoln under the company’s scheme which gave him the opportunity to buy it back within a four week period.

Andrew Scott, prosecuting, told Lincoln Crown Court that when Allen did not return for the laptop staff began to clean it ready for resale.

There was so much data on the computer that files had to be deleted manually which led to the discovery of photographs of children in their underwear.

Police were contacted and 106 indecent images of children were found on the laptop.

As a result, officers raided Allen’s home in October 2018 and seized a second laptop which was examined.

Mr Scott said that 13,150 illegal images were discovered. The vast majority were in the least serious category but 119 were classified being of the most serious level which included three videos. A further 26,359 prohibited images of children were discovered on the second laptop.

Mr Scott told the court: “There were 140 different search terms indicative of the defendant seeking indecent images of children on his computer.

“All of the indecent images were made over a five year period between January 2012 and October 2017.

“The defendant was interviewed and said his main interest was in science fiction and horror. He was asked whether he was sexually interested in very young girls but said he was not because he liked the older girls of 13,14 and 15.”

Allen, 66, of Sheppard Court, Western Avenue, Bracebridge Heath, admitted four charges of making indecent images of children, one charge of possession of prohibited images of children and a charge of possession of extreme pornography.

Sunil Khanna, in mitigation, said: “He is a man who has worked all of his life.

“In 2010 as a result of the combination of ill health and the ill health of his mother he decided to retire.

“He cared for his mother and it would appear it is at that stage that he began to isolate himself from others. His mother passed away and he began to spend a large amount of time on the internet.

“He accepts seeking out nudism photos. Thereafter he has gone on to search for more extreme images.”

Allen was given a 12 month jail sentence suspended for two years and ordered to complete up to 45 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and given a 10 year sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Simon Hirst, passing sentence, said that a report showed that there was a prospect of the probation service being able to successfully carry out rehabilitation work with Allen.

The judge told Allen: “If they are able to help you then it helps children the world over. On balance it seems to me that you should get that help.”