A PAEDOPHILE has been jailed for two years after being caught with over 100 indecent images of children that were sent to him on Snapchat.

David Alder, of Thorney Lane South in Iver, was sentenced today (June 9) at Reading Crown Court after being charged with three counts of making an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child and one count of distributing an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child.

Police searched his previous home in Slough on August 19 last year and seized an iPhone belonging to the 47-year-old.

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On it, police found 21 category A images, 25 category B images and 63 category C images. Officers also discovered 13 of these images had been sent on to others via WhatsApp.

Judge Sarah Campbell sentenced him to two years imprisonment as well as making him subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

Opening the case, prosecutor Charles Ward-Jackson said Alder answered ‘no comment’ during his first interview at Maidenhead Police Station.

However, during his second interview he admitted to having been sent the images via Snapchat, on an account which he had since deleted, as well as an app called ‘RandoChat’.

He told police he had received ‘rude pictures’ of children, which he deleted, but stated they remained on his phone due to being stored on the ‘Cloud’.

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The age of children in the images – which were a mixture of moving and still images – were aged from four-years-old to 12-years-old.

Alder told police he regretted receiving the images and said he ‘wasn’t in his right mind’ due to drug and alcohol abuse.

He denied having a sexual attraction to children, claiming the images were sent as part of ‘role play between adults’.

However, police found a conversation with someone named ‘Ginger’ on Snapchat where Alder referred to ‘having fun’ with a 13-year-old girl but Alder stated he couldn’t remember the conversation.

When asked if sent some of the images on to others, he responded that he ‘didn’t know’ due to being ‘off his face’.

Defending Alder, his barrister stated he has expressed ‘remorse and shock at his behaviour’.

The court heard that he has one previous conviction for drink driving in 2002.

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Sentencing Alder, Judge Campbell said: “It was real children being assaulted by real people which means punishment can only take place in the form of a custodial sentence.

“I’ve taken into account you have a cocaine and alcohol habit and it’s too your credit you’ve addressed these issues.”