A SCOUTMASTER from Farnham who downloaded more than 14,000 sick images of children onto his computer has been jailed for four months. Stephen Lawless, 54, who cared for his 92- year-old mother, claimed he had problems forming intimate adult relationships. It led to him appearing before Guildford Crown Court for sentence last Friday having admitted 19 charges of making indecent images and five of possession. Simon Shannon, prosecuting, told the court how police searched his home address on August 10 last year and seized various items including his computer. Mr Shannon said Lawless confirmed the equipment belonged to him and made no comment in interview. He said the total number of indecent images was just over 14,000 varying in seriousness from 4,600 of the lowest category to 200 in the highest. He said: "In one of the disks received by the police was information about the Hampshire Scouts Association. He had been a Scoutmaster for some time." Adrienne Knight, defending, said: "As soon as he was arrested, he handed in his resignation and he has no intention of doing any such work again. "He was a very vulnerable person when he started committing this crime. He has an elderly mother who is totally dependent on her son. "He has been suffering from some sort of depression. He is a lonely person and didn't have anyone he felt he could share it (the burden of caring for his mother) with. "He has been working for the Scouts for 30 years, it was his whole life. He didn't have interests except for the Scouts. "There is no suggestion from any quarter at all that his personal interest has had any bearing on his outside interests." Lawless who is deeply ashamed of what he has done worked for a catering company contracted to Sandhurst since 1982. Judge Michael Addison, sentencing, said: "It was a very large amount of images you had stored on that computer. "These offences are so serious only a custodial sentence can be justified. These images are pictures of real children being most grievously abused. If people like you didn't use these pictures at least some of these children would not be abused. "The downloading and possession of indecent images must be discouraged. Other people must know what happens if they are caught doing this sort of conduct. Judge Addison imposed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order banning Lawless from working with children under 16 either paid or voluntarily. Lawless will be on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
