Convicted paedophile who moved to Wakefield caught searching for abuse photos on Google phone

Joel Joyce, formerly known as Samuel Kettell, was given a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) in 2022 for sending vile abuse images of children to other perverts online. But during a routine visit by police to his home on The Avenue, Outwood, on October 11 last year, they checked his Google phone and found images of partially-clothed youngsters, Leeds Crown Court heard.

A forensic examination was carried out on his phone and they found online searches for the images. He had accessed one website well known for being used by other paedophiles for sharing photos and videos.

The 23-year-old was released by police and was then reported as missing from his home on November 9. He had borrowed a Samsung phone from his uncle, which he failed to register with the police, thus putting him in breach of his SHPO.

After returning home he was arrested again and that phone was seized. He claimed he had no sexual gratification from the photos on the Google phone, but he said he needed help, was struggling with his mental health and wanted sectioning.

Appearing at Leeds Crown Court this week via video link from HMP Leeds, he admitted possessing seven category C of indecent images of children, and breach of his SHPO.

Joyce has two previous conviction for eight offences. In March 2022, he was given a 16-month jail sentence, suspended for 24 months, at Durham Crown Court for downloading and distributing indecent images of children. As part of that he was given the 10-year SHPO. Under the terms of the order, he has to notify police of any device capable of accessing the internet, banned from wiping his internet history, and make it available for inspection.

But within a matter of weeks he breached the SHPO by failing to declare an iPad to police. Its internet history had also been wiped. Joyce, who was living in Peterlee in Durham at the time, was jailed at Durham Crown Court for 12 months as a result.

Mitigating for his latest offences, Eleanor Mitten said he was suffering from depression and had made recent suicide attempts. Judge Neil Clark handed him a nine-month jail sentence.