Man found dead just days before he was due to appear in court accused of possessing 250,000 child abuse images #Cap

A MAN charged with making and possessing more than 250,000 child abuse images was found dead just days before he was due in court.

Gary Underwood, of Norfolk Avenue, Leigh, was due to enter pleas to seven counts of making, five counts of possessing and one count of distributing indecent photographs on Wednesday.

However, he failed to appear at Southend Magistrates Courts.

Police advised the court Underwood had died.

The 33 year-old was found at home six days earlier.

It is not yet known how he died.

The alleged offences were said to have taken place between April 20, 2009, and March 30, 2016.

Underwood is alleged to have made 363 images in the most serious category, A, 2,101 images of category B and 224,037 images of category C.

The offence of making images usually related to material which has been downloaded, because the law interprets a download as making a fresh copy.

He was also charged with the possession of 28 category A images, 584 category B images and 50,228 category C images.

A spokesman for Southend Magistrates’ Court said: “The case has been adjourned to Thursday, September 29 at 10am at Southend Magistrates’ Court, to await a copy of the death certificate.”

As a result, details of the charges were not made public.

His inquest was opened and adjourned at Chelmsford Coroner’s Court yesterday.

Coroner’s officer Malcolm Stewart told the court: “This death relates to a 33-year-old man who was found deceased at his home.

“A post-mortem was carried out on September 13 at Southend Hospital.”

Area coroner Eleanor McGann adjourned the hearing until Thursday, November 3 as the procedure was not conclusive.

She said: “He died on September 8 at Leigh. We are awaiting a toxicology report.”

An Essex Police spokesman said the force could not comment.