A FORMER coach driver - whose job included driving children around - has been slapped with a community order after possessing the most serious indecent images.

Colin Wayne Cassell, aged 53, of Horsefields, Gillingham, admitted being in possession of 352 indecent images of children at his home.

Weymouth Magistrates Court heard that between January 1, 2019 and March 12, 2020 Cassell was in possession of 16 category A indecent images of children, which are rated the most serious - as well as possessing 90 category B indecent images, and 246 category C indecent images.

Prosecutor Andrew Newman had told the magistrates court at a hearing in September that children featured in the category A images were as young as nine and that the nature of the images suggest that some of the children depicted were in pain and distress.

Mr Newman said that at the time Cassell was a coach driver.

He said that when police came around to his home to pick him up Cassell's wife told them he had just been driving children somewhere that day.

Cassell had told magistrates: "It will never happen again, and it was really stupid of me. I'm sorry."

Chairman of the bench, Dr Steve Takel said the offence was so serious the defendant would need greater punishment than the magistrates court could give.

Cassell was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday, February 25.

Judge Jonathan Fuller QC said: "On December 9, 2020 police attended your address with a warrant in regard to you viewing indecent images, 16 of which were category A.

"These indecent images contained children between the ages of nine to 13 years old.

"These were not the gravest images that have passed through this court, as there was no involvement of adults with children. However, these are serious offences nonetheless.

"You were a man of good character, but you have lost that now. From what I hear you are a hard working family man, and show remorse and understanding for the seriousness of such offending."

Cassell was given a two-year community order and must pay a surcharge of £34.

He was given a sexual harm prevention order of five years, and will be placed on the sex offenders' register for five years.

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