A man who admitted possessing more than 110,000 indecent images of children across 76 devices has avoided prison. Daniel Greaves, 35, of Station Road, Patrington, East Riding of Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
At Hull Crown Court on Monday, September 28, he received a two-year suspended sentence. He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 20 days of rehabilitation. Greaves will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.
Investigation and evidence
Humberside Police launched an investigation in March 2024 after a tip-off that Greaves held a cache of indecent images. Officers seized phones, computers, hard drives and servers following his arrest, discovering tens of thousands of videos and images of children.
Police said Greaves accumulated the collection over nine and a half years. Forensic specialists had to develop an entirely new approach to handle the volume. Of the seven devices examined, more than 100,000 images and videos were submitted as evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Police reaction
PC Sophie Newbon, who led the investigation, said: "The sheer volume of images and videos that Greaves had collected of young children using the dark web in an attempt to get away with his disgusting behaviour, was absolutely appalling."
She added: "Greaves went out of his way to scour the internet and download thousands of indecent images from across the web all for his own perverse gratification." Newbon said such investigations are "extremely complex", praising officers for their patience and determination. She suggested the volume of evidence led Greaves to plead guilty, adding: "The extremities the team were exposed to whilst reviewing them all cannot be underestimated."
Related case and reporting
The case follows that of Zafer Dogan, 32, who took photos of adults and children without consent and used AI software to create sexually-explicit images. He was jailed for two years and four months.
Anyone with concerns about an individual, or who is a victim of or has witnessed crimes like those committed by Greaves, should dial 101. In an emergency, call 999.
