Fratton man jailed for downloading 'paedophile manual' and thousands of child abuse images

Depraved paedophile Ross Clifford, of Toronto Road, Fratton, admitted downloading the manual onto a memory stick as well as thousands of indecent images of children – some showing toddlers as young as two – being abused.

Appearing via video link from Winchester prison, the 40-year-old, sat silently as his sickening list of offences was read out in Portsmouth Crown Court.

Sentencing, Judge David Melville QC said: ‘One cannot really have a more serious catalogue of offences before the court particularly bearing in mind you were before this court in the last part of 2017 for similar offences. 

‘You must know how the children who take part in these films are abused. If it wasn’t for the likes of you accessing this information those children would not have been abused. 

‘The pain and distress that they would have suffered is disgusting. It’s something that will probably be with them throughout their lives and it’s an appalling thought that that distress and upset will probably work its way out through their lives all because people like you want to view these images.’

After police raided Clifford's address on February 12 and seized computer equipment and mobile phones, examiners found 1,195 category A images – the most serious level, 786 category B and 3,001 category C. 

They also uncovered 221 category A moving images of children being sexually assaulted as well as 56 category B ones and 13 category C.

The 25-page paedophile manual was also found, which contained vile ‘diagrams’ of how to molest children.

Speaking of the most extreme images, Judge Melville said: ‘They are of the worst type. They show penetrative sexual activity with children as young as two years old.’

Clifford had previously been convicted of similar offences in 2017 and was sentenced to eight months in jail, suspended for two years.

For Clifford, Karen Walton said her client accepted his crimes but urged the court not to jail the 40-year-old and instead put him on a three-year community sentence and treatment programme.

She said: ‘He has accepted all of his behaviour and he has accepted he needs help.

‘I absolutely accept that is a hugely upsetting and most devastating offence for those young children. The difficulty with somebody who admits that kind of offence is that punishment doesn’t necessarily alleviate the risk when he is released.’

Judge Melville refused this and jailed Clifford for four years and three months. Clifford will serve half of this before being released on licence.