Paedophile found with 15,000 indecent images

A paedophile who possessed 15,000 indecent images of children has today been found guilty of engaging in sexual activity with a child.

Durham Crown Court heard how Russell Duncan Frederick Weatherley assaulted the teenage girl in 2008.

The 62-year-old, of Bearpark, was arrested for the sexual offences in 2022 after officers discovered thousands of indecent images on his phone.

Amongst the files were images of the victim, who officers managed to trace. It was then that she confirmed she had been abused by Weatherley.

Despite Weatherley denying the offences, officers worked around the clock to gather evidence to bring him to justice.

And after a five-day trial, Wetherley was found guilty of six charges of sexual activity with a child and five charges of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He also changed his plea to guilty for 18 charges of making indecent images of children and one charge of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving an animal.

Detective Constable Liam Padget, of the Durham Constabulary Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “Weatherley took advantage of vulnerable girl and portrayed himself as a knight in shining armour, while all the time he was in fact sexually abusing her.”

“Weatherley represents a real danger to children and thought he had got away with his crimes but his shameful past has finally caught up with him.”

DC Padget added: “Not only has Weatherley possessed massive amounts of the most depraved child abuse material, we now know he grotesquely abused the victim, and recorded the abuse.

“This has weighed heavily on the victim for many years who has been so courageous in helping with the investigation and we hope can now see justice at last.

“If you have been a victim of sexual assault we would urge you to come forward no matter how much time has passed.”

Weatherley was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Durham Crown Court on November 18.