A PAEDOPHILE who accessed a Russian child abuse website via his PlayStation so he could view images of boys as young as seven being abused has been given a hospital order.

Preston Crown Court heard that each time Simon Lee Robbin accessed the website he set up a new user account and would then delete his internet history to cover his tracks.

By deleting his internet history that put the 31-year-old in breach of a sexual harm prevention order he received in 2015, along with a suspended sentence, after being found with child pornography on his phone.

Prosecuting, Sarah Johnston said officers from the police’s sex offender management team went to Robbin’s house in Leeds Road, Nelson, for a compliance visit in December 2018.

Ms Johnston said: “They were shown a PlayStation and the defendant went on to admit he had deleted the internet history from it. He admitted he had done that because he had been viewing indecent images of children via a Russian website.”

The court heard that Robbin had admitted viewing child abuse images for a significant amount of time via the games console but no charges had ever been filed in relation to accessing indecent images of children.

Robbin, who has two previous conviction for making indecent images of children, pleaded guilty to breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Defending, Andrew Scott said his client had a somewhat complicated mental health background but he had been making some progress since being treated at Guild Lodge.

Mr Scott said: “The medication he has been prescribed seems to be taking some effect.”

Judge Mark Brown said that because Robbin spent nine months on remand – the equivalent on an 18-month prison sentence – before being transferred to Guild Lodge and given the recommendation of the doctors he was prepared to impose a hospital order rather than a custodial sentence.