A SIXTY-four-year-old Brampton man has been put on the Sex Offender Register after he admitted downloading child abuse images.

Police who seized devices owned by Bruce Beveridge discovered that they contained five indecent child images which were classed as Category A, the most serious kind, Carlisle’s Rickergate court heard.

The charge relates to images that included a video which lasted for seven minutes and 31 seconds, the contents of which prosecutor Peter Kelly said should not be aired in court.

Beveridge committed the offence over a period of almost six years, the court heard. The charge states that between December 6 of 2014 and March 25 of 2020, the defendant made or downloaded five indecent Category A images of children.

Mr Kelly said that the offences came to light after the police visited the defendant at his home on July 9, 2020. Given the nature of the images found on the devices, said Mr Kelly, the defendant should be sentenced by a judge at the crown court.

Lauren Heasley, defendant, said Beveridge was a man of previous good character and asked background reports. These will be prepared by the Probation Service.

The lawyer accepted that it would be more appropriate to have the case  dealt with by the crown court.

Magistrates agreed.

They told the defendant that he must report to Carlisle’s Police HQ at Durranhill within three days and provide his personal details, as is required for those people who are on the Sex Offender Register.

The defendant will be sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court on July 11.

In the meantime, he was granted bail. The length of time his name will be on the Sex Offender Register will be determined by the ultimate length and nature of the sentence he is given. he