Anthony Beresford – North Walsham

2026

North Walsham man spared jail for second indecent image offence

A convicted sex offender was caught with more than 1,500 indecent images of children while being monitored after his release from prison for a similar offence.

Anthony Beresford was being supervised by the police’s public protection unit (PPU) following his release from a 14- month sentence imposed in 2020 for indecent images offences.

Norwich Crown Court heard that when officers visited him in July 2022 they discovered he had an account on the KIK social media chat app as well as a laptop, which was in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) imposed as part of his 2020 sentence.

Peter Gair, prosecuting, said there were 359 Category A images – the most serious – as well as 612 Category B images and 552 Category C images on the device.

The defendant, of Hall Lane, North Walsham, appeared at court on Thursday (January 15) after he admitted the indecent images offences, as well as breaching his SHPO.

Judge David Pugh said Beresford, who has set up a business selling 1980s computer equipment online, had “accessed vast numbers of indecent images of children”.

But in imposing a 14-month prison sentence, suspended for 24 months, Judge Pugh accepted the offending had been more than three years ago and had not been repeated since.

Andrew Oliver, mitigating, said Beresford had uploaded images to his phone but had not realised they were on the laptop.

“He thought the images uploaded to his phone had been deleted,” said Mr Oliver.

But Mr Oliver said he accepted the offences and had shown “insight” into his offending.

The barrister said the offences were committed more than three years ago at a time he was going through a separation from his wife.

Mr Oliver said Beresford was accessing social media into the “very early hours” which had been the “trigger for this offending”.

Beresford was ordered to undertake 180 hours unpaid work, up to 15 days Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) and an accredited programme of up to 26 sessions.

He was also put on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and made the subject of a SHPO, also for 10 years.