Paedophile hid child porn on three mobile phones

A paedophile has been jailed for 20 months after he hid child pornography on three mobile phones.

Luke Birch, of Eign Road, Hereford, appeared before Worcester Crown Court on Friday where he was convicted of three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

The 39-year-old was on an SHPO for previous offences last year but a check by police showed he had been accessing indecent images of children on his mobile phones.

Det Const Richard Britton said: "Every indecent image of a child represents the abuse and exploitation of a real victim."

Britton, who works for West Mercia Police's Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team, said Birch was "rightly" now serving a prison sentence for breaching his SHPO.

"By accessing and viewing these images, offenders contribute to the ongoing harm suffered by those children," he added.

"Protecting children from sexual exploitation and abuse remains a priority for West Mercia Police.

"We will continue to proactively monitor offenders who are subject to court orders and take appropriate action against those who ignore the restrictions placed upon them."

Birch was handed concurrent sentences of 16 months, six months and four months for the three counts of making an indecent photograph, as well as a four-month consecutive sentence for the SHPO breach.

He was further ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years and given an indefinite SHPO.

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