A man from West Sussex has been sentenced at court for possession of child sexual abuse material.
Robert Butler, 37, appeared at Brighton Crown Court on 6 August.
Police arrested Butler on 29 April 2025 after receiving information of suspicious online activity.
Butler was charged with three counts of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child on 15 December 2025. He appeared at Worthing Magistrates’ Court on 13 January 2026 and was given court bail until his next court appearance in February.
As officers continued the investigation, searches of Butlers’ digital devices found over 350 child sex abuse images.
Over 200 of the images were classed in the most serious category, and the some of the victims were aged younger than ten years old.
Butler appeared at Lewes Crown Court on 10th February and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In May however, he changed his plea to guilty for all counts.
Robert Butler, 37, of Shooting Field, Steyning, was sentenced at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 6 August.
He was given a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, sentenced to 12 months in custody suspended for 18 months and ordered to carry out a 26-day offender program, and ten days of rehabilitation.
The order prevents Butler from contact with anyone under the age of 16, and requires him to be closely monitored by a specialist team of police officers, which includes having strict controls on his electronic devices.
Any breaches of the order will result in a prison sentence
The investigator on the case, Rose Horan said: “Every one of these images depicts the sexual abuse of a real child, somewhere in the world.
“These children will no doubt have suffered years of trauma due to the abuse.
“Sharing, storing and seeking out these images is depraved and cowardly.
“The Sexual Harm Prevention Order given to Butler will help to safeguard children and prevent further offending.”
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