A disabled man with an ‘adult-baby’ fetish has appeared in court charged with possession of child sexual abuse images with some victims aged just 18 months old.

Thomas Wright was caught with 65 pictures and videos when police were alerted to him uploading some of the vile images to YouTube.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 33-year-old, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, was sent the disturbing images from someone with a shared interest in ‘adult-baby’ role play.

Jenny Haigh, prosecuting, said the defendant struck up friendship with another man on the Telegram online messaging service as they were both members of the ‘adult-baby’ community before officers found the images on his mobile phone.

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She added: “He accepted that he was responsible for anything that was found on his phone as he was the only person who had access to it.

“He didn’t want to discuss how he became involved but he accepted possession of the indecent images, he said he had become involved in an online chat with another male through Telegram and were both members of the adult-baby community.

“This man had sexualised discussions and online chat with the defendant and it developed into the receiving of the indecent images of the children.”

Wright, of Eskdale Road, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to possession of 11 category A images – the worst offence; possession of eight category B images; possession of 13 category C images; and possession of 33 prohibited images, following the raid on his home in March 2021.

Martin Scarborough, in mitigation, urged the judge to follow the recommendations in his client’s pre-sentence report which showed he was a low risk of reoffending.

He added: “He has a lack of previous convictions and seems to have shown some remorse.”

Judge Jonathan Carroll sentenced Wright to eight months in custody, suspended for 18 months after accepting the defendant’s medical conditions had a profound impact on his life and left him socially isolated.

The judge told Wright he was not judging him on his sexuality or his interest in his sexuality of a ‘more narrow kind’ that presents its own problems.

He said: “We are now living in a very different world, there is much more understanding and tolerance of difference – physical difference, neurological difference and sexual difference – I make it clear that I am not judging you for that at all.

“It may well be that interest which leaves you exposed to others with a more sinister interest but that is a problem that you are going to have to learn to grapple with.”

Wright was also ordered to attend 50 rehabilitation activity requirement day, to sign on the sex offenders’ register for ten years and was issued with a three-year sexual harm prevention order.

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