Newcastle graduate caught with sick images of kids as young as four
by Sara Nichol · ChronicleLiveA perverted graduate was caught with a vile stash of child sexual abuse images involving kids as young as four.
Solomon Egwu, who was living in Newcastle city centre while on a graduate visa from Nigeria, was found to have the sick material on his iPhone when police seized his electronic devices. A court heard that a total of six images were discovered but that one of the devices couldn't be forensically examined as it was encrypted.
Egwu, of The Bar, in Newcastle city centre, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of a child when he appeared at Newcastle Magistrates' Court. Giving him an 18-month community order, District Judge Paul Currer said: "The children involved are between four and 10 - they are young children - and you downloaded these images and kept them.
"That indicates to me a serious level of offending. I accept you have no previous convictions. You have downloaded a large amount of pornographic material but only these six images were indecent images of children.
"Nevertheless, this is a serious offence and the starting point is 12 months in custody." District Judge Currer also ordered Egwu to do 150 hours of unpaid work and to sign the sex offenders register for five years.
Clare Irving, prosecuting, said it was in September 2022 that Northumbria Police received intelligence that an email address of solomonjunior@yahoo.com had been associated with a Dropbox account that had uploaded an indecent video of a child.
Ms Irving added: "On November 30 2023, officers attended the defendant's home address. He's cautioned and arrested. A mobile phone belonging to the defendant, an iPhone 14, was seized and forensically examined."
The court heard that of the six images discovered, four were category A, which are the most serious kind and involve penetrative sexual activity.
Janice Hall, defending, said Egwu, 36, was in the UK on a graduate visa, had pleaded guilty and had no past convictions. Mrs Hall added: "This conviction will have an impact on his job status and his immigration status."
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