L Walker 
A County Durham barman who downloaded more than 45,000 child abuse images avoids prison.
Ethan Chapman, 20, of Darlington, was arrested in August 2018 after a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.
His smartphone and laptop were examined after an investigation on the dark web where NCA investigators found 45,651 deleted child abuse images – 36,186 at the worst category A level.
Chapman’s laptop showed he had used the dark web and various anonymisation techniques to hide his true identity.
In January he admitted three counts of making indecent images of children – 36,186 category A, 8,831 category B and 634 category C.
At Teesside Crown Court on Monday, he was sentenced to nine months in jail suspended for 18 months.
He was also put on the sex offenders register for five years and given a five-year sexual harm prevention order.
NCA operations manager Graham Ellis said: “Every child in an abuse image is re-victimised when the photograph is viewed or shared.
“Chapman’s use of the dark web shows a degree of sophistication and a determination to avoid law enforcement detection.
“Dark web child sex offenders – some of whom are the very worst offenders – cannot hide from law enforcement.”
The NCA and UK police arrest around 500 child sex offenders a month and safeguard about 700 children a month.
