Daniel Greaves, 35, of Station Road, Patrington, East Riding of Yorkshire, has avoided jail despite holding over 110,000 indecent images of children across 76 devices. He pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
Suspended sentence and court orders
At Hull Crown Court on Monday, September 28, Greaves was given a two-year suspended sentence. He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 20 days of rehabilitation. Greaves will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.
Investigation details
Humberside Police launched an investigation in March 2024 after receiving a tip-off that Greaves had a large collection of indecent images. Detectives found tens of thousands of videos and images of children on phones, computers, hard drives, and servers seized after his arrest.
Police stated that Greaves collected the material over nine and a half years. Forensic experts had to devise a new strategy to handle the volume of evidence. Of the seven devices examined by experts, more than 100,000 images and videos were sent as evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Police response
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."
Pc Newbon 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." She described such investigations as "extremely complex" and commended officers for their patience and determination. She also suggested the sheer volume of evidence led Greaves to decide to plead guilty.
Pc Newbon said: "The extremities the team were exposed to whilst reviewing them all cannot be underestimated."
Anyone with concerns or suspicions about a person, or who is a victim of or has witnessed crimes like Greaves's, should call 101. In an emergency, call 999.
