Worthing vicar jailed for possessing more than 22,000 indecent images of children
The RSPCA also seized a number of severely malnourished animals from his home
A Worthing vicar found with more than 22,000 indecent images of children on his computer has been jailed for four years.
Police first arrested 63-year-old, David Renshaw, of Wallace Avenue, in August 2020 after an illegal image linked to him was found on a file sharing website in New Zealand.
The RSPCA also seized a number of severely malnourished animals, including dogs, cats and chickens, from his home.
Renshaw, who was a vicar at the Holy Trinity and Christ Church, was found guilty of eight offences in February.
Alongside his sentence, which included a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and the destruction of all offending material, he was also ordered to pay £4,200 in fines.
Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant David Rose, said: “Throughout this investigation, Renshaw sought to blame anyone but himself. He failed to accept or take any responsibility for his actions, which I am certain the local parish he represented would be appalled by.
“Through painstaking and careful enquiries, we were able to show that the child abuse images were on his computer, saved under his username and found on a hard drive on his desk. The sheer number of images indicate that they were accumulated over a protracted period of time.
“The search of his address was one of the most revolting tasks our officers will ever have to endure. As well as malnourished living animals, there was also a dead rotting kitten and a dead rotting rat on the floor, in addition to used needles and other drug paraphernalia lying around. It was a deeply unpleasant scene to search.
“It was also a particularly harrowing experience for the officer who had to sift through and grade each image, something that will stay with him for the rest of his life.
“I am grateful to our partner agencies for their support, and to the Diocese of Chichester for their full co-operation throughout the investigation.
“All necessary safeguarding enquiries were carried out and there was no risk to any identifiable children in the case.”