Guildford man jailed for child porn images on computer
A man from Guildford has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for downloading and distributing more than 1,700 indecent images of children.
Peter Stilwell, 57, of Woodlands Road, Guildford, was found guilty at Guildford Crown Court.
He was caught when social website provider Ning contacted police about suspicious online activity.
After raiding Stilwell's home in May 2010, officers discovered 1,789 images on his computer.
The images ranged from categories one to five, which is used to categorise the most serious and graphic images available.
They had been downloaded from 2006 up to the night before Surrey Police's Paedophile Online Investigation team executed the search warrant.
'Exploitation of children'
Det Con Mike Selcon said: "People should remember that every image downloaded and shared online represents a child who has been abused.
"The images found on the equipment we seized spanned a four-year period with Stilwell downloading images right up until the night before we searched his property.
"By engaging in this activity, offenders like Stilwell play an active part in the exploitation of children.
"Surrey Police is committed to identifying anyone who possesses or distributes indecent images of children and ensuring that they are brought to justice."
Stilwell was also made subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for an indefinite period.