David Spencer of the Centre for Crime Prevention told said: 'Everyone will rightly be horrified that the Ministry of Justice has decided to go soft on paedophiles in this way.

'It is time for the MoJ to ensure everyone caught viewing child abuse images end up where they belong. In a prison.'

Last year, the then solicitor-general Robert Buckland, who is now justice secretary serving under Boris Johnson, said the internet was the 'gateway' for perverts to commit other offences.
He said downloading images and videos facilitated the 'commission of other offences'.

Mark Bridger, who murdered five-year-old April Jones in 2012, was obsessed with abuse images.

And Stuart Hazell, who was jailed in 2013 for the murder of Tia Sharp, 12, had searched online for images of abuse, his trial heard.

Sickening. Absolutely appalling.

beggars belief, I was under the impression that it was automatic jail time.

I'm confused.

Sarah Payne was murdered. But first, you're talking about people caught with photos. Well what are we discussing, here? What's a paedophile, someone who murders a child or someone with a few photos in their phone?

Any chance we can have some idea wtf you're on about, here?

Last year, the then solicitor-general Robert Buckland, who is now justice secretary serving under Boris Johnson, said the internet was the 'gateway' for perverts to commit other offences.
He said downloading images and videos facilitated the 'commission of other offences'.

Mark Bridger, who murdered five-year-old April Jones in 2012, was obsessed with abuse images.

Right. So if someone is caught with a bit of weed, should they be locked up for a crack-fuelled murdering spree - just because some guy says weed is a 'gateway'..?

If I have a car-chase video on my phone, should I be locked up for running down a load of pedestrians?

The argument you're putting forward, which has been spun by a tabloid, is ridiculous.

If someone is guilty of having a picture of a naked child, that's all they're guilty of. And they should be dealt with accordingly.
Unsurprisingly, such a person isn't going to be treated the same as someone who rapes a child.

That's not really news, is it.

About 112,000 offenders have been dealt with through community resolution orders each year since 2014, the BBC's Shared Data Unit found.

From 2014 to 2018, they were issued for:

Some 2,500 sex offences including 27 r*pes (Police forces said these disposals could relate to sexual activity between children including sexting)
Some 5,000 for possession of weapons, including knives and guns
Some 156,000 for violent offences against the person including 1,720 for cruelty to children
Some 151,000 for theft offences including 3,555 for burglaries and 309 for aggravated vehicle taking


A police force has been criticised after it emerged it handed out cautions for serious offences including r*pe, child abduction and soliciting to commit murder.

The police and crime commissioner, Tony Lloyd, has demanded answers from Greater Manchester police (GMP) after it was revealed that cautions were given out for hundreds of serious crimes over the past five years.

The figures were released under freedom of information legislation and revealed that the force had handed out 14 cautions for r*pe offences and a further 177 for a variety of sex crimes.

A caution requires an offender to admit their crime and is regarded as an official slap on the wrist and an alternative to a charge that would bring the perpetrator before a court.

If someone is guilty of having a picture of a naked child, that's all they're guilty of. And they should be dealt with accordingly.

that isnt what was said

this is

Total of 2,967 perverts caught with abuse images in 2018 but just 562 jailed
1,106 given suspended sentences and 596 given community punishments
382 let off with a caution, 25 handed fines and 28 given conditional discharge

I think a lot of those stats are you including those who've been considered eligible for and agreed some kind of rehabilitation treatment instead of a custodial sentence.

Hopefully that works for preventing them re offending in future.

Myself I doubt it will.
Once a dirty bast*rd, allways a dirty bast*rd.

a caution