A PENSIONER caught with child pornography has been sent to the crown court for sentencing.

Thomas Sopwith was convicted of charges of making indecent photographs of a child and of possessing a prohibited image of a child when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford in December.

The court heard from Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor Mark Hambling that the 70-year-old defendant had made indecent photographs of a child, contrary to the Protection of Children Act 1978, in Welsh Newton, Herefordshire, on June 10.

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He had also been in possession of a prohibited image of a child in Welsh Newton on the same date, the court heard.

The case was sent to Worcester Crown Court for sentencing on January 11, with a pre-sentencing report ordered to be carried out by the probation service.

Sopwith, who is of Nursery Road in Ross-on-Wye, was bailed with conditions to register with police until his case is dealt with, not to contact any person under 18, not to reside or stay in a place where any child under 18 is present without parental and social services consent, not to seek any employment that would bring him into contact with people aged under 18, and to allow police access to any device capable of accessing the internet.

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