Chesterfield scout leader of 39 years made 79,000 searches for Russian child porn

Martin Platts, 66, was a scout leader for 39 years and a school governor for five years, Derby Crown Court heard.

Recorder Ruth Coffrey told him there was a “strong sense of betrayal” as someone who “was working with children”.

She said: “You were working with children as a scout leader and returning home to search for images of similar children depicted in very vulnerable and abusive situations.”

He acquired nearly 1,200 category A, over 900 category B and over 5,000 category C images between 2011 and 2021.

The court heard Platts was also found with over 7,000 prohibited cartoon images depicting children being “tortured” and “crucified”.

Prosecutor Eddie Leonard described how, following an investigation, police seized the images from a Lenovo laptop, a Samsung mobile phone and pen drive at his home.

Outlining the case, Ms Leonard said: “The defendant carried out 79,000 searches on a Russian website – the majority of the images came from that website."

Search terms included "teen scouts, young boys, dead kids hanging, boy slaves, crucified girl cub scouts, girls hanging and being molested.”

Platts’ barrister Digby Johnson said: “There’s clearly an acceptance of what he has done and that it’s wrong. It seems to be the one thing that brought him to the attention of the police.

"It seems that it festered and grew and persisted over a period of time.”

Mr Johnson said Platts was now receiving palliative care for cancer, adding: “He has done a great deal of good for others over the years.”

However Recorder Ruth Coffey told him: “This is an exceptional case for the types of images, the types of searches, the extensive period that this behaviour has gone on and the positions of trust you have held.

"It’s a betrayal of a community that looked to you – behind every one of those images is a child who has suffered and has been abused and will never receive any help. They will never recover.

"They have come from a Russian website and we have no way to help them – this is a real betrayal of those children.

"By encouraging those images to satisfy the sexual desires of people such as yourself you have contributed to the abuse of those children.”

Platts, of Chesterfield, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possession prohibited images.

Due to his health difficulties the judge suspended a two-year jail term for two years. He was handed 55 rehabilitation activity days and a sexual harm prevention order.

Commenting on the case, an NSPCC spokesperson said:“By searching for and viewing these images Platts betrayed everything his positions as a scout leader and school governor represented, which were having a responsibility for the welfare and safety of children.

"Downloading and viewing indecent images of children helps fuel and support the online trade of child abuse material, an industry which has such a devastating impact on young lives.

“The NSPCC is committed to doing all it can to help influence the creation of an effective, robust Online Safety Bill, which forces tech companies to do everything in their power to protect children and prevent this devastating material from being shared online.”

Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111. Adults with concerns about a child can phone the NSPCC helpline on 0808 8005000 or email [email protected]