Man caught with indecent images of children spared jail

39-year-old handed suspended sentence

An Onchan man has been spared jail after being caught with indecent images of children.

Liam Colin McCabe, of The Kirkway, was sentenced at Douglas Courthouse after pleading guilty to six offences.

The 39-year-old also admitted three separate counts of distributing an intimate image - via instant messaging app Kik - including one to a person who told him they were a 14-year-old girl.

The offences were committed in August and September last year.

Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood told him she would be sentencing on the basis the person was indeed 14 as they had claimed, despite arguments that that couldn't be proven.

Indecent images

Police searched the McCabe's home on 5 September last year after he was arrested at his workplace. They seized his mobile phone, along with eight other devices.

The court heard a total of 52 images were recovered. Thirty-two were category C, 11 were category B and nine category A.

Category A is deemed the most severe, and category C is the least serious images.

McCabe maintained the images were sent to him and he deleted them stating he has 'no sexual attraction' to children.

During sentencing the deputy high bailiff argued if that was the case, he still had viewed them and didn't inform the authorities. 

'Highly sexualised chats'

The court also heard three conversations were retrieved from the messaging app which were described as 'highly sexual' in nature.

McCabe sent 'intimate images' in all three; the conversations were described as 'inappropriate' by his advocate.

Sentence

Sentencing McCabe to 44-weeks in custody, which will be suspended for two years, Deputy High Bailiff Braidwood told him: "Every child sex abuse image represents an abused child.

"You have perpetrated that abuse."

She also imposed a two-year probation order and ordered him to pay prosecution costs.

McCabe's mobile phone will also be destroyed.