Jarrow man caught with indecent images of children exposing themselves on his phone could face jail

A South Tyneside man caught with two indecent images of children on his phone has been placed on the sex offender register and could be jailed.

Cameron Walton, 26, of Leicester Way, Fellgate, Jarrow, had one image at the most serious category A and another at category C.

One showed a girl thought to be aged between 13 and 15 exposing her body, prosecutor Jasmine Dodd told borough magistrates.

Walton pleaded guilty to two counts of making an indecent photo or pseudo photo of a child between September and October 13, 2024.

He could be jailed after magistrates adjourned the case for reports but told him all sentencing options – including custody – were on the table.

Ms Dodd did not explain how Walton came to the attention of police but said: “There was an examination of the defendant’s phone.

“There was one category A image and one category C. The category A showed a child, estimated to be between 13 and 15.

“It’s a starting point of one year’s custody, solely for the category C. That’s to do with the age of the child and her vulnerability.”

Alastair Naismith, defending, told magistrates: “You are going to be looking at a suspended sentence.

“It’s likely that you’re going to have to adjourn for a pre-sentence report. There is no availability to do that today.”

Magistrates adjourned for an all-options report and granted Walton unconditional bail to be sentenced at the same court on Tuesday, June 9.

They made him subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, commonly known as being on the sex offender register.