A man has appeared in court charged with three counts of making indecent images of children.
David Simons, 45, of Broadfield Road, Gomeldon, appeared at Winchester Crown Court on March 11, where he was due to stand trial; however, he pleaded guilty on the second day of the trial.
The offences took place between November 30, 2023 and January 8, 2024 and relate to 17 category A images of a child, 22 category B images, and 58 category C images.
Det Con Justine Parsons, of the Child Internet Exploitation Team, said: “This was a thorough investigation which uncovered images of category A – C indecent images found on Simons’ mobile phone. Accessible Cat C images were found in Simons’ password protected hidden folder on his mobile phone.
“Although the case was listed for a trial, once the judge heard and agreed to allow the jury to hear the sexual communication that Simons had with a user on a social media platform who purported to have a 12-year-old daughter, he pleaded guilty. He had spoken sexually about the child.
“These are serious offences and whilst no contact offences were identified, Simons’ intentions were extremely disturbing. Protecting children remains our priority and offenders like Simons have no place in society.”
Simons will be sentenced on May 11 at Salisbury Crown Court.
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