A CUMBRIAN man was caught with extreme pornography which included a sickening image of a person sexually abusing a female corpse.

The Carlisle Crown Court judge who sentenced Kendal man Jake Stewart, 27, who also had a small number of indecent child images, said the defendant had a “deeply unhealthy interest in depraved sexual activity.”

Stewart admitted four offences: three counts of possessing extreme pornographic images and one count of possessing five Category C indecent child images.

Prosecutor Andrew Evans described how in June of 2021 police were made aware that indecent child images had been uploaded to a device whose IP address was the property where Stewart was living.

When officers raided the property, they seized a iPhone belonging to the defendant, who initially claimed that the device may have been hacked. An analysis of the phone, however, revealed incriminating evidence.

This consisted of 47 images depicting humans having sex with animals and the image of somebody having full sex with a corpse. There were also two further images showing sexual practices that risked injury to private parts.

“Thirteen of the 50 images were moving extreme pornographic images,” said Mr Evans. “Also recovered were five Category C illegal images of children.” This is the least serious category of child abuse image.

Those images were downloaded between February 16, 2021 and early September of the same year, the court heard.

The defendant told the police that he had in fact not searched for the illegal images he had, suggesting they were among bulk image collections that were sent to his device.

Claire Larton, defending, highlighted the low number of child abuse images and suggested that Stewart, who has a previous malicious communications offence on his record, could be worked with to reduce his risk to the public.

She said the defendant’s mother, seen weeping at times during the hearing in the public gallery, was supporting her son. The barrister added that Stewart had a difficult school life and had worked for most of his life.

Judge Nicholas Barker told the defendant: “You have, in my judgement, a perverted and deeply unhealthy interest in depraved sexual activity.”

Though there were only five indecent child images of Category C, internet search terms used by Stewart revealed  his “more determined sexual interest in children and young teenagers,” said the judge.

The judge continued: “As to the extreme pornography which was recovered from your devices, it demonstrates a disgusting level of perversion.”

The judge referred also to the “multiple” images of people having sex with animals, and the “highly disturbing” image of somebody having sex with a decapitated corpse.

The judge said: “There is evidence of Facebook searches which suggest a determined effort to obtain this depraved material… Others may have supplied it to you; but you were an entirely willing recipient of it.

“It was you, and no one else, who wanted to have this filth on your devices.” The judge said the defendant’s attitude to sexual issues concerned him, adding: “It’s clear from what the pre-sentence report speaks of that you lack empathy towards these people, particularly children – most importantly children, who are victims of the crimes contained contained within those indecent images.

“They were exploited; they were abused, and they were victims. You need to understand that by looking at them and demanding them you propagate that abuse.”

The judge imposed a two-year community order, with 30 rehabilitation activity days and a sex offender treatment programme. Steward must also complete 150 hours of unpaid work. He will be on the Sex Offender Register five years.

He must also observe an eight week 7pm to 7am curfew. The judge urged Stewart, of Hall Park, Burneside, Kendal, to take up the help he was being offered with “vigour and enthusiasm,” warning that any breach of the order risks a jail sentence.