In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Damien Kydd, then 34, of Raithwaite Close, Guisborough, North Yorkshire, was handed a lengthy prison sentence for amassing a massive library of child abuse material. Kydd, a persistent predator with a “very bad record,” was caught by police with a Samsung phone hidden in his sock. A subsequent search of his home led to the seizure of laptops, cameras, a drone, and rucksacks containing thousands of prohibited files.
The investigation by Cleveland Police uncovered a “horrifying” collection of 3,161 child abuse images, including 810 at Category A—the most severe level. The prosecution emphasised that the devices contained 62 hours of video footage, some of which depicted the rape of babies and very young children. Furthermore, officers discovered an additional 40,293 “ungraded” images, suggesting a vast and systemic interest in the exploitation of minors.
During the proceedings at Teesside Crown Court, it was reported that Kydd had “callously” attempted to evade justice by running from officers on April 10, 2018. He also admitted to fraud, having used his foster mother’s details to take out a £17,000 loan. Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, emphasised that Kydd had a “deeply unhealthy interest” in children and had consistently breached his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by concealing devices from the police.
Kydd’s criminal history dates back to 2008 and includes multiple previous prison sentences for child sex offences and SHPO breaches in 2009, 2013, and 2015. For these latest “serious” crimes, Kydd was jailed for six-and-a-half years. As a result of his convictions, he remains on the Sex Offenders Register and was handed a new indefinite SHPO. He is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Cleveland Police, ensuring his behaviour and digital access in Guisborough and the wider Teesside area are under permanent, strict monitoring.
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