HULL CROWN COURT – A Bridlington man found with more than 200 indecent images of children, including 131 in the most serious Category A, has avoided immediate imprisonment after receiving a suspended sentence.
Connor Sallis, 31, of Marshall Avenue, Bridlington, admitted four offences of making indecent images of children. He was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended, together with 20 rehabilitation days.
Hull Crown Court heard that the offences came to light after police attended Sallis’s then home in Carisbrooke Avenue, east Hull, on January 12, 2021, in connection with a separate matter. Officers seized two mobile phones from the property, which were subsequently examined.
Investigators discovered 210 indecent images of children. Of those, 131 were Category A, the most serious classification, 68 were Category B and 11 were Category C.
Among the material was a video depicting the sexual abuse of an eight-year-old boy. The court was also told that police found a downloads application and a file-sharing service on one of the phones, with illegal material contained within a folder.
Sallis initially denied knowing about the indecent images or having a sexual interest in children. He told police that his former partner also had access to the phones.
He originally denied the offences and the case was listed for trial. Sallis subsequently changed his pleas and admitted four counts of making indecent images of children. Public court records confirm that a case involving Connor Sallis had previously been listed for trial at Kingston-upon-Hull Combined Court Centre in August. Open Court Data
In mitigation, the court was told that Sallis had viewed the material following the breakdown of a relationship and during a period in which he was taking drugs. His barrister said he later became homeless but was now drug-free and there had been no repeat of the behaviour.
The court was told that Sallis was “truly ashamed and embarrassed” by his actions. His barrister also said there were “very few images of children compared with what the courts usually see”.
Sallis had a previous conviction dating from 2016 relating to animal matters and had also received cautions.
The nine-month prison sentence was suspended, meaning Sallis will not go immediately to prison. He was ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation days and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.
Sallis must also register as a sex offender for ten years, while the court ordered the deprivation of the mobile phones on which the material was found.
Photo credit: Hull Live