Ex-Scout leader jailed for 100,000 boy porn pics

A former scout leader has been jailed after nearly 100,000 indecent images of young boys were found on his computer.

Peter Murphy, 46, of Southdown Road, Yaxley, Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty to five charges of making and possessing indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornographic images at Peterborough Crown Court last month, Cambridgeshire Police said.

The court heard he served as a scout leader in the village for almost 20 years and had collected more than 94,000 images via an online file sharing network.

Murphy came to police attention when Child Exploitation Online Protection (Ceop) passed on intelligence about internet users exchanging child abuse material.

He was traced to his home and officers seized his computers.

They contained indecent images of boys aged from babies to teenagers.

Judge Sean Enright yesterday sentenced Murphy to a total of a year in prison, police said.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and put on the sex offenders register for 15 years.

Detective Constable Gareth Purdy said: "Murphy downloaded and collected thousands of indecent images of children, some at the most serious level.

"This case should send a message that we will catch up with anyone who accesses or collects such images and they will be put before the courts."

Andy Baker, deputy chief executive of Ceop, said: "Offenders who think they can use seemingly 'private' areas of the internet, including peer-to-peer technology, for child abuse materials need to think again.

"This conviction and sentence should send the message out to those thinking of engaging in this appalling activity that they will be caught and held to account."

PA