Phone shop worker stole customers' child photos

A man who used his job at a mobile phone shop to access photographs of customers' children has been jailed for seven years.

Steven Drew, 38, also sexually assaulted a young girl and had a paedophile manual. When he was caught by police in Lincoln in January 2023, officers seized nine devices containing 160 images that were deemed category A - the most serious.

Sentencing him at Lincoln Crown Court on Monday, Judge Simon Hirst told the defendant he was a dangerous offender after he heard Drew's actions were "manipulative, deceitful and predatory."

Drew, who previously admitted 17 serious offences, must also serve an extended period of two years on licence upon his release.

The court heard Drew had also taken some of the images himself.

He used his job at an Apple resale store to transfer images of customers' children to his own phone.

Impact statements from a number of his victims were read out in court.

One described his actions as "manipulative, deceitful and predatory".

Another said: "How could he do this to an innocent little boy?"

In mitigation, the court heard Drew was educated to a degree level and had no previous convictions.

However at a previous court hearing, Drew admitted a string of offences including five charges of making indecent images of children and three of possessing them, one count of possessing a paedophile manual and one of sexually assaulting a child aged under 13.

His defence barrister, Paul O'Shea, told the court: "As a fall into the abyss there will be few as bad as this."

"He accepts the impact and the wrongdoing here."

Judge Hirst told Drew: "Given the sustained period of the offending, the fact you were offending on bail, the circumstances of the offences and that you have a long standing interest in children, I am satisfied there is a significant risk of you committing further specified offences."

Drew was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and given a restraining order, preventing any contact with his victims.

Following sentencing, Det Con Nicola Paradowski, of Lincolnshire Police, described the defendant's actions as "abhorrent".

"It's evident from this case that Drew has a clear sexual interest in children, and that he would stop at nothing to fulfil his needs," she added.

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