A man was jailed after police found a phone with child abuse images hidden in his underwear
Liverpool: So, here’s the deal. Viktor Smirnovs got himself into some serious trouble. Police found a mobile phone tucked away in his underwear, and it was loaded with disgusting images of children.
This 39-year-old had already been given a break with a suspended sentence, but he clearly didn’t take it seriously. Now, he’s behind bars.
He was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court, where he needed a Latvian interpreter. He admitted to breaching his sexual harm prevention order and not keeping up with his sex offender registration.
Back in November 2023, he was handed a 15-month sentence, but it was suspended for two years. He even admitted to having a ‘dark side’ after being caught with hundreds of vile images and videos. But then he vanished back to Latvia.
When he finally returned, police found he had downloaded even more sick material—over 800 images and videos. The court slapped him with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order to keep an eye on him.
On September 9, Cheshire Police showed up unannounced at his home. Smirnovs let them in and claimed he had no other devices. But when they searched his bedroom, they noticed something odd about his trousers.
Yep, they found a mobile phone hidden in his underpants. This Google Pixel phone wasn’t registered with the police, which he was supposed to do.
When they checked the phone, they found links to a bank account and a Gmail account that also weren’t registered. Smirnovs just kept saying ‘no comment’ during questioning.
After a forensic examination, they discovered 216 indecent images and videos on the phone. Out of those, 29 were the most severe category A, while others fell into categories B and C.
These new offences meant he breached his suspended sentence. Judge Anil Murray, who had given him that break, decided to activate it and added extra time for the new charges.
In the end, Smirnovs was sentenced to 20 months in prison, effective immediately. His sexual harm prevention order and registration requirements remain in place.
During his last hearing, it was mentioned that he struggled to understand why he was looking at such images, hinting at a deeper issue. His barrister said he clearly needs some serious rehabilitation.
