In 2026, the Offender Database recorded that Thomas Corking, then 29, formerly of Darlington, County Durham, was jailed for 28 months for distributing “sickening” videos of infants and children being sexually abused. On Wednesday, 18 February 2026, Corking appeared at Teesside Crown Court for sentencing. The court reported that the defendant, now of Rosslare Road, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, stashed more than a thousand files on his digital devices, some depicting children as young as three months old.
The investigation established that police attended Corking’s former address in Darlington on 12 November 2025, acting on information that child abuse images had been digitally shared from that location. Officers seized an iPhone hidden under a pillow and an iPad from a coffee table. Durham Constabulary reported that forensic analysis of the devices uncovered over 1,000 Category A images and videos—the most serious legal classification—showing the rape and abuse of very young children.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Corking used the Telegram messaging app to distribute these images, sending texts to other users that outlined his “deviant sexual proclivities.” Teesside Crown Court heard that these messages included the defendant fantasising about raping a child. The prosecution reported that Corking’s partner, Ashley Robinson, was also arrested as part of the investigation and is awaiting sentencing at a later date.
Recorder Andrew Haslam KC noted that the severity of the material, particularly the age of the victims and the content depicting rape, necessitated an immediate custodial sentence. For his actions in Darlington and Stockton-on-Tees, Corking pleaded guilty to nine counts, including three counts of making Category A images and three charges of distribution across all categories. The judge noted that the 28-month sentence reflected the persistent nature of his digital offending.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in England, Thomas Corking was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: 28 months in prison.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were activated for ten years.
- SHPO: A ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Teesside Crown Court following an investigation by Durham Constabulary.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Corking is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Durham Constabulary, Cleveland Police, and the prison estate. Due to the “depraved” nature of the material shared in Darlington and Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, his management is subject to oversight by the Public Protection Unit.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register, Corking must comply with notification requirements regarding his residence in Rosslare Road, Stockton-on-Tees, for the next ten years. Authorities state that his ten-year SHPO includes strict prohibitions on his use of encrypted messaging apps and digital devices. Any breach of his registration conditions, his SHPO, or his licence terms upon release will result in immediate arrest and a return to Teesside Crown Court.
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