A PAEDOPHILE from Ellesmere Port who had indecent images of children as young as six months old on his phone has been jailed.

Aaron Thomas Cutler, 32, was found to have 1,200 indecent images of the worst kind on his mobile phone, Chester Crown Court heard on Thursday, June 25.

Judge Simon Berkson said only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate as he jailed Cutler, of Randle Meadow Court, Great Sutton, for 12 months.

Prosecuting, Nardeen Nemat said police became aware of Cutler's offending when he sent five indecent images from his partner's phone to his own via Snapchat.

Police arrived at their home on December 17, 2019 and, after a five-minute delay, Cutler's partner answered the door.

The two mobile phones were recovered, and a total of 7,895 indecent images of children were found.

Of those, 1,179 were category A indecent images – the most serious category – as well as 21 category A indecent videos.

The court heard this included pictures of children as old as 16 years old to as young as six-month-old babies.

Miss Nemat told the court in the worst photos, the babies could be seen in pain and distress.

The court heard while Cutler was a father, none of the indecent images were that of his children – which included a seven-month-old baby.

The remaining indecent images included 1,202 category B images and 12 category B videos, as well as 5,481 category C images and 14 category C videos.

The five indecent images which had been sent via Snapchat were classed as category C.

Also found on Cutler's phone were 57 prohibited images of children and 29 extreme pornographic images involving people and animals.

Cutler's internet browsing history had shown he had visited websites known for child abuse images.

When interviewed by police, Cutler admitted all the offences and said the indecent images were a "collection".

He added his partner had no idea what he had been doing.

Cutler had no previous convictions and one caution for an unrelated offence of battery. Judge Berkson said he would treat the sentencing as Cutler being a man of previous good character.

Defending, Howard Jones said Cutler's best mitigation was that he had admitted the offences from the beginning.

He had lost custody of his children from a previous relationship and had not seen them since he was arrested in December, but was hopeful of applying for supervised contact in the future.

Judge Berkson, sentencing, said: "In these images, pain and distress could be seen on the faces of the children abused.

"You had these images on your phone so you had access to them wherever you went.

"You are somebody who has come clean to the court, to the police and to the probation service, but only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate."

As well as the 12-month sentence, Cutler was placed on a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which prohibits him from unsupervised contact with any girl under 16.

The phones were to be forfeited and destroyed.