Paedophile nabbed after saying 'nude children' to voice-activated phone in busy high street shop

A partially-blind paedophile has been jailed after walking into a branch of Carphone Warehouse, complaining that his phone's voice-activation wasn't working and then saying the words 'nude children' to his phone to illustrate the point.

Frederick Cunningham, 79, of Fieldside, Epworth shocked a salesman when he repeated the command and complained that the phone would not search for or access certain websites, reports the Scunthorpe Telegraph.

The incident occurred on 23 December last year, after which staff took the phone and called police.

More than 260 images of children, including babies and toddlers, as well as 29 images depicting bestiality were found on the phone and four others seized by police when the pensioner was arrested last Boxing Day.

Cunningham, who is registered as half-blind, admitted to three offences of making indecent photographs of children and another of possessing extreme pornography involving an animal. He has previously been convicted of sex offences in 1957, 1960, 1962, 1995 and 1998.

Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that the phone didn't search for his 'nude children' command because the illegal content would be found on the dark web, and not through mainstream search engines like Google.

"One would have to access the dark web, which is not covered by main servers," Mr Evans said.

"If they are legitimate businesses, they don't have, or shouldn't have, such material."

Judge Mark Bury said to Cunningham, before handing out an eight month jail sentence: "You took in a phone that was having problems and you, in front of a member of staff, used the words 'nude children' in a voice application.

"Hardly surprising that the police were called and you were arrested.

"Each image of child abuse represents an episode of vile abuse on a child. If it wasn't for people such as yourself looking for and obtaining such images, the abuse of children would in no way be as common as it is."

Cunningham was also handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and was forced to register as a sex offender for 10 years.