The online paedophiles walking free despite accessing thousands of child abuse images: As fury over Huw Edwards lenient sentence grows, how sex offenders are being let off with a slap on the wrist

Scores of online paedophiles have joined Huw Edwards in dodging jail for viewing indecent images of children in recent years.  

The former BBC newsreader was handed a six-month suspended sentence after admitting three charges of making indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by a convicted paedophile. 

The decision has been branded a joke by abuse campaigners, but the reality is most other people found guilty of viewing child porn similarly walk free from court.

Jim Gamble, former head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command Centre, said he had known there wasnt a hope of Edwards going to prison. 

Huw Edwards was handed a six-month suspended sentence after admitting three charges of making indecent photographs 

He told Times Radio: Less than 20 per cent of individuals convicted of this type of offence actually receive a custodial sentence.

Meanwhile, criminal defence solicitor Liam Kotrie said he had dealt with hundreds of indecent image cases and had very rarely seen anyone jailed for a first offence. 

Below, MailOnline reveals some of the offenders who have avoided spending a day in jail despite fuelling an illicit industry that relies on the abuse of vulnerable children. 

Alex Williams: Huws paedo pal 

Huw Edwards fixer was among those to escape with a suspended sentence after admitting a series of child sex offences. 

Alex Williams, 25, shared 41 indecent images with Edwards, 63, in an abhorrent chat exchange. 

Among the sickening trove of abusive pictures shared by the sex offender were two showing a boy as young as seven.

Alex Williams, 25, shared 41 indecent images with Edwards, 63, in an abhorrent chat exchange 

Edwards was snared by chance by police in Wales who were investigating Williams and stumbled upon his messages sent to the famed newsreader.

Williams, from Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, admitted possessing and distributing child sex images and having 58 prohibited computer-generated images of children.

The images were slammed by a judge as evil and Williams received a suspended sentence of 12 months.

Daniel Frogson: BAFTA-winning actor with 850 abuse images 

A former His Dark Materials actor downloaded and viewed almost 850 sick abuse photographs of children as young as three years old.

Daniel Frogson, 21, admitted viewing the sickening images at Nottingham Crown Court, where he was found guilty of downloading 848 indecent images including 165 of the most serious category, which typically shows adults raping children.

The court heard how Frogson, an actor on CBBC, had been viewing the pictures since he was 17.

Daniel Frogson attends a Gala Screening of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry at The Ham Yard Hotel on April 18, 2023 in London

Handing him an eight-month jail sentence in February, suspended for 24 months, Judge Steven Coupland said: The images I have seen are sickening. Each of them is a real child being abused for the pleasure of someone like you watching.

It is made worse because of the number of them - there were 848 indecent images - and it is made worse by the length of time you were doing it. You told the probation officer you do not have a sexual interest in children. I dont accept that.

Frogson was placed on the sex offender register for ten years and given a five-year sexual harm prevention order - but will avoid jail if he stays out of trouble for two years. 

Mansoor Khan: Eminent consultant found with sick 100 images 

Top NHS consultant Mansoor Khan was deemed a pillar of society and coached a girls rugby team but led a double life.

But the disturbing reality emerged when he was found with more than 100 abhorrent and perverted images of children on his phone in 2020. 

The plastic surgeon, who was spared jail his sentencing last year, downloaded an anonymous browser and accessed sites on the dark web to download dozens of the most revolting photos of children as young as two, the court heard.

Khan (pictured in 2022) walked free after a judge was told there was every reason to believe he would never appear before a court again and had led a life which hugely benefited his community

When police followed a digital trail from a Snapchat account and arrested him, the 54-year-old father of four claimed he wanted to protect his children from what they might find and was doing his parental responsibility in accessing the dark web.

Khan was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for two years. 

He was also fined £2,156, handed 150 hours of unpaid work and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order stopping him from being in contact with children.

Joshua Pope: Secondary school teacher found with Category A sex abuse images 

A Plymouth secondary school teacher amassed a huge stash of indecent photos and videos of children including 276 considered Category A - but was still spared jail. 

Joshua Pope, 26, was snared after police were told that a Dropbox account associated with him was being used to store images of child sex abuse. 

He was arrested an his electronic devices seized, leading officers to discover hundreds of videos of children performing sex acts. 

Joshua Pope, 26, was snared after police were told that at Dropbox account associated with him was being used to store images of child sex abuse

In mitigation reported by Plymouth Live, his barrister Ed Bailey said the moment had been a wake up call and that his clients obsession for searching for indecent images of children had got way out of control, especially during the isolation of the pandemic.

He said that Pope felt relieved that he had been finally been caught and his secret was out in the open. 

Last month, the teacher was given an eight month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with the judge saying there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. 

Steve Blackthorne: Fiend left abuse images on trains 

A train guard was left in tears after being handed shocking printout images of child sexual abuse that had been left behind by a passenger who had just left the service at Basingstoke in Hampshire. 

A British Transport Police investigation subsequently identified the man responsible as 38-year-old Steve Blackthorne, from Winchester, who went on to plead guilty to the  making and distribution of indecent images of children. 

Steve Blackthorne, from Winchester, left harrowing child sex abuse images on a train 

Just a few days later, in 2022, a member of a cleaning crew discovered a further batch of images when he pulled down a folding table. 

Following a British Transport Police investigation he was sentenced to two years in jail suspended for two years at Winchester Crown Court on July 9 this year. 

He was also issued with a 10 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years, while being told to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £650 costs.

Stuart Pettifer: Hotelier who searched for pre-teens and sweetie schoolgirls 

An Isle of Wight hotelier was sentenced this month to a series of child sex abuse offences after gathering a tranche of indecent images from the Internet. 

Stuart Pettifer, of Sandown, had been using an Instagram account to search for pre-teens and sweetie school girls, while also accessing disturbing images from likeminded individuals on a messaging app. 

Stuart Pettifer, of Sandown, used an Instagram account to search for pre-teens and sweetie school girls, Isle of Wight Crown Court heard 

The age range of the youngers depicted in the images was between 5-14, reports Island Echo. 

Pettifers defence solicitor said he had fallen down a black hole after intimacy issues in his marriage and insisted he was deeply ashamed of what he had done. 

The 57-year-old, who had pleaded guilty to three charges in total, was handed down an 8-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

Terry Judkins: Town mayor who admitted possessing indecent images 

A former town mayor was given a suspended prison sentence for possessing and distributing indecent images of children. 

Terry Judkins, from Pembroke Dock, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court in July after he admitted the charges. 

The 55-year-old admitted two offences involving Category C images and possessing a prohibited image of a child. He also pleaded guilty to making and distributing Category A images of children. The images showed teenage boys as young as 10. 

Terry Judkins, from Pembroke Dock, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court in July after he admitted possessing indecent images of children 

Defence lawyer David Maunder told the court that Judkins was not a committed paedophile but had dipped his toe into this kind of behaviour, which he deeply regrets now. 

In comments reported by the BBC, Judge Catherine Richard said his offending stood in contrast with the positive reputation you gained and sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

Craig Spencer: Had hundreds of abuse images including ones showing babies 

One of the most disturbing cases involves that of Craig Spencer, a drug user who was found with hundreds of images including infants under the age of one. 

Outlining his case at Bolton Crown Court in May, prosecutor Tobias Collins described how some of the photos showed children in visible distress. 

They were found by police who had been led to Spencers house by searching his IP address.

Craig Spencer was found with hundreds of images of children, including infants under the age of one 

After seizing the paedophiles phone, police found images of children ranging from less than a year old to 14 years old, reports the Bolton News. 

Mr Collins told a judge the images included a baby under the age of one and children in visible distress. In total there were 127 Category A images of children, 94 Category B images and 123 Category C images.

Recorder Alexandra Simmonds noted that Spencer had pleaded guilty, cooperated with police and was ashamed of his actions. 

She sentenced him to 16 months in prison, suspended for 18 months.

Thomas Dewey: Councillor for six days before thousands of vile images found 

A 37-year-old had been serving as an elected councillor in Hackney for just six days before police found child abuse images on his work laptop.  

Thomas Dewey was given a one-year suspended sentence last year after pleading guilty to possessing 1,850 indecent images of children.

Out of these, five were considered category A, 41 category B and 203 category C.

Thomas Dewey was given a one-year suspended sentence last year after pleading guilty to possessing 1,850 indecent images of children

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), although this was overturned by Court of Appeal judges earlier this year. 

A written judgement from Lord Justice Green, Mrs Justice May and Mrs Justice Yip said: “Despite extensive analysis of all 10 devices taken from the appellant police found no evidence of any attempt at contact with children, whether through internet chatrooms or in any other way, on the part of the appellant.” 

At his original sentencing hearing, Deweys lawyer insisted he had sought therapy for his behaviour.