A 20-year-old man from Newtownstewart has appeared in court charged with multiple offences relating to indecent images of children. Callum John Nicholas, of Mourne Park, faces counts of possessing, making and distributing such material, as well as possessing prohibited images and extreme pornography.

The charges follow a police search of his home on 16 July 2024, during which a phone and two iPads were seized. A partial forensic report on the phone, received earlier this week, found 2,503 illegal files.

These included 355 images and 13 videos in the most serious Category A, 440 images and 9 videos in Category B, and 538 images and four videos in Category C. A further 1,092 images and 41 videos were classified as prohibited, along with 10 images and one video of extreme pornography.

Among the material was a photograph described as a first generation image of a child, which investigators say was taken on Mr Nicholas's phone and subsequently distributed.

When police attempted to arrest him on the recent charges, Mr Nicholas held a knife to his own throat, causing a superficial cut. Officers intervened to disarm him, and one officer sustained a cut to their hand. He was taken to hospital for treatment and a psychiatric assessment, and was later deemed fit to be returned to custody.

During police interview, Mr Nicholas stated that he had developed an addiction after accessing dark web forums and admitted a sexual interest in children. However, he denied sharing indecent images or creating the first-generation material on his phone.

Police opposed bail, citing serious concerns about the alleged offending. A detective constable told the court that the child in the photograph appeared to be around seven years old and that identifying the victim could take time due to the sensitive nature of the investigation. The officer also noted that despite Mr Nicholas suggesting the images should be deleted, he had retained them.

The detective said there were grave fears that if released, the accused might continue the behaviour under pressure or for self-indulgence, and could take images of another vulnerable child. The court heard that the defendant's current address was unsuitable, and an alternative proposed residence was objected to because the householder had a previous conviction for indecent assault in England.

District Judge Francis Rafferty noted the phone had been seized nearly two years before the arrest and asked if any new devices were found. The detective confirmed that Mr Nicholas said he had not had a mobile phone since the initial seizure. The judge said he would not release the defendant without a suitable address and adjourned the bail application to allow a further address to be proposed. Mr Nicholas is due to appear again via video-link on 9 July.