A high-flying student who collected more than 2,800 “grotesque” images of children including rape and torture has avoided prison and instead been ordered to get ‘treatment’.

Joseph Robinson, 19, accessed the “dark web” to log on to sites containing child abuse images.
He owned up straight away as police seized a computer tower and memory stick from his home on October 11 last year.

They found 2,598 indecent images of children, with samples showing pre-pubescent boys and girls, some depicting rape.

They included more than three hours of videos at the most serious level, showing children suffering in distressing abuse, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Some of those pictures were described in court on Thursday as “particularly grotesque”.
Robinson, of Vicarage Avenue, Stockton , admitted three charges
of making indecent photos of children and one of possessing prohibited images of children
Defence said he was a hard-working student and was likely to achieve a first class degree, hoped to move straight into a high-earning job in 2020 and had references and a small but close circle of friends.

“An immediate custodial sentence would interrupt those studies and would have unknown consequences for his future career.

“He needs help and will embrace it. He is of an age where his behaviour can be modified,” added Mr Turner.

Judge Howard Crowson told Robinson: “Many people serve immediate prison sentences for these offences
“Unfortunately we deal with many of these types of cases.

“You have an unhealthy interest in indecent images of young children.

“These are young people who have been abused. Every time someone looks at their images, they violate them again.”

‘To any right-thinking person they are appalling’
Referring to the prohibited images, he said: “To any right-thinking person they are appalling.
“The people who bring references would be horrified if they knew the detail. They are grotesque.”
He said Robinson’s cooperation with the prosecution encouraged him that the teenager would work with the Probation Service to help prevent re-offending and avert future risk.

Robinson was given a one-year sentence in a young offenders’ institution suspended for two years with a internet sex offender treatment programme and 30 days’ rehabilitation activity.

He was given a sexual harm prevention order governing his internet and computer use and will be on the sex offenders’ register, both for 10 years.