Man with 'deviant sexual interest' jailed for child abuse images

Stefan Kolodziej received a 12-month suspended sentence in August 2019 after he was convicted of three offences of making indecent images of children.

As early as November that year he once again committed the sick criminality and continued for a period of six months.

Kolodziej, of Westover Road, Bournemouth, appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court on January 21 for sentencing having previously admitted three counts of making indecent images of a child, one count of failing to comply with sex offenders register notification requirements and breach of the 2019 suspended sentence.

Stefan Kolodziej

Before jailing the 56-year-old for three years, Judge Robert Pawson told Kolodziej if offenders like the defendant did not access and download the indecent images, fewer people around the world would seek to commit the child abuse.

"You contributed to the abuse of children directly by your behaviour," said Judge Pawson.

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Prosecuting, Simon Connolly told the court Kolodziej's offending came to light when Dorset Police received a referral from the National Crime Agency.

It had been identified that the defendant's Google account and phone number was being used in relation to accessing indecent images of children.

Mr Connolly said there was no suggestion the defendant was distributing the images or that had been involved in the child sex abuse acts.

Police seized several electronic devices and following investigations they found 2,891 category A images – the most serious. There were also 4,169 category B images and more than 12,000 category C images.

The court heard that from a sample of the category A images, one included a three-year-old child, while another pictured a five-year-old "showing distress".

Such was the content of the images found, there was "genuine concern over the welfare of the police officers who we conducting the grading of the images", the court heard.

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The notification requirements offence related to the defendant failing to re-confirm his details with police as specified every year.

The court heard at the time of this matter Kolodziej said his mind had been preoccupied with trying to resolve an issue related to his late mother's estate.

Mitigating, Tom Evans said the defendant lost his job in 2010 and subsequently had his home repossessed.

"He has spiralled from that point in his life," said Mr Evans.

The barrister added: "He says he doesn't want to hurt anyone else but recognises his actions are hurting other people."

The sentencing hearing took place at Bournemouth Crown Court

Judge Pawson referenced a report which said the defendant had a "strong deviant sexual interest which was not manageable in the community".

He added that it was stated "rehabilitative intervention is doing no more than keeping you out of prison".

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The judge said the offences were aggravated by the defendant's acts of subversion, his previous convictions, the high number of images, the duration over which he had the images and the ages of the children pictured.

Kolodziej was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and must stay on the sex offenders register until further order.

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