A convicted paedophile from Shrewsbury has been sent back to jail after almost 180 indecent images were found on his mobile phone


A convicted paedophile from Shrewsbury has been sent back to jail after almost 180 indecent images were found on his mobile phone

Stephen Reed, 48, was arrested at his town centre home after police intercepted a series of messages between him another known sex offender on January 31.

The crown heard that Reed had been released from prison in April 2017 for previous sex offences.

Mr Paul Whitfield, prosecuting, said: “The police intercepted communications between the defendant and another man from north Yorkshire, a registered sex offender known to the police.

“He was at this time involved in explicit communications about girls as young as eight. Images were downloaded from Yorkshire to Reed who received them on his telephone.”

He added that as a young man Reed lived in London and had other convictions for petty matters and theft.

The court heard that Reed, of Rope Walk Court, viewed and deleted the images which resulted in the phone being seized by the officers and him being charged with making indecent images.

At the hearing yesterday Reed pleaded guilty to making 63 images of category A, the worst; 26 in category B and 90 in category C.

Reed was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order after being sentenced to a total of twelve and a half years, in Exeter, in 2010 for offences including rape of a girl under 16, indecent assault and gross indecency against a girl from Barnstaple

Mr Stephen Scully, defending, said Reed was likely to be recalled to prison by the parole board as he had been on licence, when he committed the latest crimes.

Judge Peter Barrie jailed Reed for a total of 12 months for the latest offences.
His jail term will run alongside the remaining term which is due to expire in 2022.
The judge said the Sexual Harm Prevention Order was now indefinite and he ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the images.