L Walker 
Simon Halliday – described as a “sickening and perverted individual” with a track record for such behaviour – was already under a strict court order to curb his internet use when he was caught with the vile images at his home near Malton.
The 46-year-old, who downloaded photos said to have been sent by other pedophiles on an internet chat site, later deleted some of the images in contravention of the court order imposed in 2012 after Halliday was convicted of similar offences, York Crown Court heard.
He was arrested in January this year at his workplace in Harrogate and police seized his Huawei mobile phone from his home in Sledgate, Rillington.
They found 73 indecent images of children on the phone, including eight photos rated Class A – the worst kind of such material, featuring images of a girl as young as six being raped.
Police also found 109 images on the phone that were said to be “borderline” and included teenagers “in various stages of undress”, although they did not form part of the charges that would be brought against Halliday, said prosecutor Ashleigh Metcalfe.
Halliday was hauled in for questioning and admitted deleting images but denied going onto the “dark web” to look for indecent material.
Halliday admitted three counts of making indecent photos of children and breaching a sexual-harm prevention order which prohibited him from deleting his internet history and using any internet-enabled device without informing police.
All the images featured girls between the ages of six and nine.
He appeared at York Crown Court via video link on Friday after being remanded in Hull Prison since his arrest in January.
His latest offences were in breach of a separate order made in 2012 by Hull magistrates.
It had been due to last 10 years and designed to prevent Halliday deleting any interent images sent or received by him.
Halliday was unrepresented in court.
He said: “Looking back on my record, it saddens me to see how I behaved.”
Judge Simon Hickey condemned Halliday for his latest collection of vile images which included photos of “a lot of young females in various poses”.
Jailing Halliday for 22 months, the judge said he had noted the defendant’s “history of disobedience (of court orders)” and the age and vulnerability of the children featured in the sordid photos.
He was also placed on the sex-offenders’ register for 10 years and made subject to a new sexual-harm prevention order of the same length.
The order has nine separate clauses including restrictions on Halliday’s internet use, a prohibition on him living or staying at any household with children under 16 years of age and another barring him from having any advertent contact with under-age children.
Det Sgt Lee Allenby, of North Yorkshire Police’s Online Abuse and Exploitation Team, said afterwards: “Those who obtain and distribute child-abuse material – sickening and perverted.
Individuals such as Simon Halliday – directly contribute to the sexual exploitation of children. This is because the children involved are continually re-victimised.”
*To report suspected crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children, call North Yorkshire Police on 101.
