A MAN who downloaded hundreds of child abuse images from the internet had told a judge that he was depressed and ‘in a dark place’ at the time.

Raymond Goody was found with a large number of still images and a few movies when police raided his home in Dawlish in October 2021 and checks showed he had been accessing abuse websites.

He had also downloaded images of bestiality which were found when police examined the devices.

He represented himself at Exeter Crown Court where he told Judge David Evans that he has already started addressing his behaviour with online courses.

Goody, aged 54, of Albert Street, Dawlish, admitted three counts of making, by downloading, indecent images of children and one of possession extreme images.

He was jailed for a year, suspended for two years and ordered to undertake a sex offenders’ treatment course as part of 30 days of rehabilitation activities.

He was also ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid community work, put on the sex offenders’ register for ten years, and made a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order which forbids online contact with children and enables the police to monitor his internet activity.

Judge Evans told him: ‘The evidence showed you had searched for web sites which concerned the sexual abuse of children.

‘Some of the children were in clear distress and the size of the collection was very large.

‘You made admissions to the police and the author of the pre-sentence report but there is still a deal of work to be done on your underlying motivation to guard against this behaviour happening in the future.

‘I hope you understand, if you did not at the time, the appalling harm, psychological and otherwise, caused to the subjects of these grim images.’

Miss Zoe Kuyken, prosecuting, said police acting on information about his online activity traced Goody through his IP address and searched his home on October 15 and seized devices which included the two desktop towers which contained the images.

A forensic examination revealed 3,845 items, including 214 still images and nine movies which were categorised at the highest level A because they showed penetrative abuse of children.

There were also extreme images which showed adults taking part in sexual acts with animals, including a horse.

A probation report which was quoted by the judge said that Goody had become socially isolated at the time he downloaded the images and was spending too much time alone on his computer.

The report also said Goody was remorseful and keen to attend courses which would prevent him re-offending.

Goody told the court: ‘I was in a very dark place which I am trying to get out of.

‘I have changed my medication with the doctor for my depression.

‘I have recently changed again onto new tablets.’