A judge has slammed a man after he was convicted of having indecent images of children for the second time.
Stuart Clarke appeared before Oxford Crown Court on November 12 after he pleaded guilty to having hundreds of indecent images of children.
Despite Judge Michael Roques making it clear to the defendant that people who are convicted of a second indecent image offence are usually sent straight to prison, he was unable to do that due to changes in sentencing laws earlier this year.
All sentences of 12 months or less must be suspended, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Despite Clarke, 41, of Valley Road, Horspath, Oxford, being jailed for distributing indecent images of children in 2012, Judge Roques said there were no exceptional circumstances, so had no choice but to suspend the sentence.
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The court heard that Clarke had used the Telegram app to view the indecent images.
Officers attended his home in September 2024 when Clarke initially told them he was using the app for his interest in motocross. However, he later admitted he had been viewing indecent images of children.
When his phone was examined, there were 195 images and one video in category A, 215 images and one video in category B and 65 images of category C.
Tom Blackburn, prosecuting, told the court that Clarke admitted the offences when he was interviewed by police.
Clarke told officers that he had been looking for pornography and that he deleted and reinstalled Telegram when he viewed indecent material.
He denied being sexually attracted to children and denied getting sexual gratification from viewing the images.
The court heard that some of the category A images included children as young as seven being sexually abused by adults.
Peter Du Feu, mitigating, said: "The end date of the previous offences was in 2010. There has been 14 years to the new offences."
Mr Du Feu said that Clarke's previous sentence of 16 months in prison 'may have been lenient'.
He added: "When he came out, there was no rehabilitation. He knew there was work to be done. It's a pattern this court sees all too often.
"He wants to be equipped for the future to make sure this doesn't happen again. He desperately wants to make sure this is his last time before the courts."
Judge Roques said: "Every one of the children depicted will have had their lives destroyed. They will never get over the sexual abuse.
"Every one is a life ruined and you are responsible for that. I have never not sent someone to prison when they have done this more than once."
However, the Judge explained that the sentencing rules meant he was bound to give a suspended sentence.
Clarke was handed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 24 months.
He was ordered to complete a probation requirement, 26 sessions of an accredited programme, six months of mental health rehabilitation and 150 hours of unpaid work.
An order was also made for the deprivation of his mobile phone and he must pay costs of £150.
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