Derbyshire microbrewery man admits downloading over 20,000 child porn images and movies

A child porn pervert was slated for helping to create a market where children as young as six-years-old are being sexually abused.
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Derby Crown Court heard on Wednesday, January 23, how Alun Waterhouse, 48, who has been involved with the award-winning Chesterfield Alehouse, on West Bars, was caught having downloaded over 20,000 indecent images of children.

Prosecuting barrister Ms Eddie Leonard said: “These offences came to light as a result of information received by police in relation to the internet address being used by this defendant and being able to share with peer-to-peer groups.

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“They attended his home address on Spencer Street, Chesterfield, on June 19, last year, and spoke to the defendant.”

Pictured is Alun Waterhouse, 48, of Spencer Street, Chesterfield, who has been given a suspended prison sentence after he was caught downloading child pornography.Pictured is Alun Waterhouse, 48, of Spencer Street, Chesterfield, who has been given a suspended prison sentence after he was caught downloading child pornography.
Pictured is Alun Waterhouse, 48, of Spencer Street, Chesterfield, who has been given a suspended prison sentence after he was caught downloading child pornography.

Waterhouse fully admitted the offences after he was arrested and his home was searched and computer devices were seized.

The defendant, of Spencer Street, Chesterfield, told police he had been downloading internet images of children for the past ten years.

He added the images would pop up when he was looking for adult pornography and then he searched for images and stored them on his computer.

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Ms Leonard said there were ten images and 50 movies of category A, 116 images and 38 movies of category B, and 24,496 images and 49 movies of category C.

Pictured is Derby Crown Court.Pictured is Derby Crown Court.
Pictured is Derby Crown Court.

The category A matters included youngsters aged between six to 14, and the category B matters included 10 to 13-year-olds, and the category C matters included youngsters aged between 12 and 14.

Waterhouse, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photos of children with charges officially spanning between November, 2012, and June, 2018.

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Christopher Brewin, defending, who described Waterhouse’s occuaption as a licensee, said: “We have a situation where we have a man of 48 who has hitherto never been in any trouble and we have full co-operation with police and early guilty pleas.

“While there are a great many images the vast majority fall into the low category.”

Recorder Steven Evans told Waterhouse: “If men such as you did not seek out and view internet images of children there would be no market.

“Young children, some as young as six, would not be sexually exploited by people in the business to make money from people like you.”

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Recorder Evans added that the impact on sexually abused youngsters stays with them for the rest of their lives after they have been abused for the gratification of men like the defendant.

However, Recorder Evans opted to impose a suspended prison sentence to ensure the defendant undergoes a rehabilitation programme to better protect children and to make sure Waterhouse does not re-offend.

Waterhouse was sentenced to 16 months of custody suspended for two years with a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and 160 hours of unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay £300 costs and was told a victim surcharge would also apply.

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Recorder Evans warned Waterhouse that if he fails to comply with his suspended sentence he will be sent to prison.

Waterhouse was also made subject to a ten-year Sexual Offences Protection Order.

Following the hearing, licensee Trevor Maris, of Chesterfield Alehouse, told the Derbyshire Times he became aware of these matters in January and Waterhouse left the company.

Mr Maris added that he aims to solely buy and run the microbrewery with his partner.