Jail for paedophile caught with 140 images of children

A paedophile who was caught with 140 indecent images of children has been jailed.

Lee Courtney, 33, was found to have the images on a Samsung mobile phone which was seized from a house in Churchill Road, Gorefield, on Monday, 18 March. 

Officers had arrived to arrest him after he had not notified police of two of his email accounts, which put him in breach of Sex Offender Register notification requirements imposed for seven years in January 2021.

Pictured: Lee Courtney, 33. 

Back then, Courtney received a 26-month sentence, suspended for two years, after being convicted of three counts of making indecent images of children and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register until January 2028. 

The Samsung mobile phone had also not been declared to officers which was a breach of a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) that was put in place following his conviction.

On Thursday (20 June), Courtney, of North Brink, Wisbech, was jailed for 16 months at Cambridge Crown Court after having pleaded guilty to breaching a SHPO, failing to comply with Sex Offender Register notification requirements and three counts of making indecent photographs of a child. 

Courtney will also remain on the Sex Offenders Register for an additional three years (until January 2031) and has had his current SHPO extended by 10 years (until January 2036).

PC Natasha Alwin, who investigated, said: “Despite having a suspended sentence and being aware of his SHPO and notification requirements, Courtney reoffended and tried to lie about a mobile phone he thought he could hide from us.

“He clearly has not learnt his lesson and we will always look to put those who harm children behind bars.”

You can read more about our work to tackle child abuse, including how to spot the signs and report concerns, on the force's dedicated child abuse information webpages.