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Massive child porn ring smashed after paedophile left his phone on the bus

By Paul Sims
Last updated at 4:29 AM on 28th May 2010

A child porn ring was smashed by police when a paedophile accidentally left his phone on a bus, a court heard yesterday.

Officers identified more than 70 suspects from across the country after 50-year-old Michael Fraser left his handset behind.

Dozens of investigations are under way and there have so far been up to 21 arrests as a result.

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Paedophile Michael Fraser accidentally left his mobile phone on a bus, which led to a child porn ring being uncovered

Wheelchair-bound Fraser yesterday became the fifth person sentenced for his role in the sick network.

The child porn ring traded in pictures and videos of children being sexually abused.

Wheelchair-bound Fraser yesterday became the fifth person sentenced for his role in the sick network.

The child porn ring traded in pictures and videos of children being sexually abused.

Many of those arrested were already known paedophiles.

Among them was serial pervert David Walton, who received an indefinite sentence for his involvement. Two other members of the ring have also been jailed.

Their details emerged after Fraser left his Sony Ericsson W580i phone on the number 100 bus between Newcastle's Metrocentre shopping mall and the city centre in February last year.

A passenger handed the phone to the driver, who looked through it in an attempt to find the owner.

Instead he discovered in the phone's memory scores of sickening images of children being abused.

It was immediately handed to police, who found Fraser had topped it up with credit using his Tesco Clubcard in the Newcastle suburb of Jesmond. A search of his nearby home uncovered 14 phones, six of which were filled with child porn pictures.

The handset, which contained indecent images of children, was found on a bus in Newcastle by a passenger

Fraser was traced after leaving his phone on the number 100 bus travelling from the Metrocentre to Newcastle in 2009

An analysis of messages received by the handsets led detectives to others, who in turn had their phones seized. The investigation grew rapidly as more suspects were identified by the pictures and videos they sent between each other, often in exchange for mobile phone credit.

Newcastle Crown Court heard there were 371 child porn images on the phones found in Fraser's home, more than 80 of which were categorised as level four, the second most revolting.

Brian Hegarty, defending, said his client accepted he had 'an unhealthy interest in children'.

Fraser, now of Seaham, County Durham, admitted nine counts of being in possession of indecent images of children and five of making indecent images of children. He asked for a further 89 offences to be taken into consideration.

Judge John Evans told him that his offences could have attracted a prison sentence. But after probation reports said he was eligible for sex offenders' treatment, the judge decided not to lock him up.

Instead, Fraser was given a three-year community order and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register.

He was also barred from using computers or phones to send images and from taking pictures in public of anyone under 16.

Other members of the porn ring included Callum Livingstone, of Chester, jailed for 18 months, and Paul Johnson, of Scarborough, jailed for 15 months. Christopher Marshall, of Humberside, was given a three-year community order.