A YOUTH football coach and college welfare officer has been jailed for 12 months after admitting possessing and making indecent images of children.

Daniel Dawson, of Gorses Mount, Darcy Lever, was caught as a result of Operation Spade, an international investigation led by Canadian police into the activities of an online retailer, based in Canada, who was trading as a film distribution company.

Police found many of the films contained child pornography and indecent images of children and after the company was raided, customers were identified and their details passed to law enforcement authorities around the world.

Greater Manchester Police, who were given information about Dawson, raided his then home in Warrington Road, Stalybridge, on April 4, seizing several computers and media storage devices.

In total the force’s High Tech Crime Unit, which examined the devices, found 1.5 million images.

Due to the high volume of pictures they could not all be examined, but in a sample of 15,000, more than 6,500 were found to be indecent images of children aged six to 14 years.

Examination of the computers also found Dawson had repeatedly searched the internet for child porn. Dawson moved to Bolton following the raid.

At the time of his arrest the 36-year-old was working as a welfare officer at Glossop Dale Community College in Derbyshire and was coaching at Middleton Lads and Girls Football Club.

He was immediately suspended from both positions, but police said there was no evidence to suggest Dawson had committed any offences against children he came into contact with professionally.

Dawson was made subject to a sexual offences prevention order, at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offender’s register for 10 years.

DC Oliver Gilmartin, from Greater Manchester Police, said: “I want to stress that we have no evidence to suggest that any physical abuse or contact offending has taken place.”

He added: “This case shows that enforcement agencies across the globe, such as ourselves and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Unit, are working tirelessly, and in partnership, to root out anyone who views child pornography and protect vulnerable children who are at risk of abuse.”

GMP has set up a helpline about the case and it can reached on 0161 8561738.