In 2020, the Offender Database recorded that 47-year-old Derick Hornby—of Avenham Place, Newton, Preston—was jailed for eight months for possessing thousands of horrific videos and pictures of child abuse. Hornby, a former soldier with a 25-year career, appeared at Preston Crown Court after police discovered his extensive involvement in a network that facilitated the sharing of indecent material. The investigation established that Hornby utilised the Kik Messenger app to download and share links to footage of children as young as two years old being sexually abused.
The investigation established that the volume of material was so vast that police were forced to stop categorising images due to resourcing issues, with approximately 80,000 images left uncategorised. The prosecution reported that officers proceeded with a sample of 21 per cent of the data, which included 240 Category A pictures and 639 Category A videos—the most serious classification in law. Preston Crown Court heard that police seized 260GB of data from Hornby’s Kindle and mobile phone, which included links to Russian internet storage sites containing sordid material.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Hornby attempted to minimise his actions during the initial raid, claiming he had deleted a video because he realised it was wrong and making the unsolicited comment that “everyone shares stuff.” The investigation established that his collection was dominated by moving images, including one video that was over 22 minutes long. The prosecution reported that the children depicted were aged between two and 13 years old, and the downloading was so extensive it took police several days to complete the forensic extraction.
Judge-led proceedings at Preston Crown Court concluded with Judge Graham Knowles QC sentencing Hornby to eight months in prison. For his actions in Preston and the aggravated nature of the very young age of the victims reported, he was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years. The judge noted that Hornby was actively involved in a network that facilitated the creation and sharing of these images, stating it was impossible to accept the defendant’s claim that he did not have a sexual interest in children.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in Preston and Lancashire, the status of Derick Hornby as of April 11, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: RELEASED (Sentenced to 8 months in 2020; served custodial term and licence; currently residing in the community).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active until 2030 (Standard 10-year period for this sentence).
- SHPO Status: Active (Including total digital monitoring, a ban on encrypted messaging apps, and mandatory police access to all Cloud storage accounts).
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barring List (Indefinite ban on working with children or vulnerable adults; permanently barred from any role involving military or community trust).
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Possession of Category A, B, and C indecent images; Possession of prohibited and extreme images).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Preston Crown Court; investigated by Lancashire Constabulary.
- Criminal Record: Former soldier with 80,000 uncategorised images; Targeted footage of children as young as two; Used Kik and Russian storage sites to share links; Collection dominated by moving images.
- Origin: Newton, Preston (Formerly of Golborne).
Monitoring and Public Protection
Hornby is managed as a high-risk registered sex offender within the Preston area. Due to the nature of his conduct—specifically his “active involvement in a distribution network and the extreme volume of 260GB of data”—his management is a priority for the Lancashire Constabulary Public Protection Unit. Authorities state that his history identifies him as an individual who utilised sophisticated storage methods to maintain a massive collection of abuse material, requiring the most rigorous tier of statutory oversight, including forensic software to monitor all internet usage.
As a registered sex offender until 2030, the 53-year-old’s details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that his 25-year military career was used as a facade of respectability to hide his persistent consumption of child abuse. Any failure to report a new device, any attempt to access Russian storage sites, or any unauthorised proximity to children will result in immediate arrest to ensure the ongoing safety of the public from a man who demonstrated a persistent and calculated intent to facilitate the abuse of infants.
QUESTION – Given that the police had to stop categorising images due to resourcing issues after reaching 80,000 files, do you believe that “Excessive Volume of Material” should trigger an automatic mandatory life sentence to compensate for the inability of the state to process the full extent of the crime?
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