Phone engineer Darren Corcoran and shop owner Daniel Bennet outside Phonezone where the images were discovered

by Lizzie Massey

Two shopkeepers held a man in their store after they found suspected child abuse images on his mobile.

Daniel Bennett and Darren Corcoran, from Phonezone in Queens Street, Gravesend, were shocked after two men came in and dropped off a phone to be fixed... and they discovered what appeared to be vile pictures.

Darren, 33, was looking for a fault on the iPhone when he touched the screen and was confronted with a grid of around 45 allegedly explicit pictures of children engaged in sexual acts.

He immediately shouted for his boss Daniel, who called the police.

The 36-year-old was asked by officers to describe the images over the phone.

"I couldn't do it," he said. "They were sick, beyond sick. The kids must have been between about five and 10-years-old.

"I just told them to get down here."

The pair say they just about managed to keep calm when the man came back in to pick his phone up.

"he came back in and seemed really calculating, then he said 'well, seeing as you have me here against my will, i'd like a glass of water'. it was beyond strange..." – phone engineer darren corcoran

They checked his name and address and asked how long he had the iPhone to make sure the pictures could only be his. The man confirmed his identity.

"Once I knew that they were his pictures, I nearly lost it," said Darren. "We told him that we'd found the images and the police were on their way."

The man then walked leisurely out of the shop and down the street "as cool as a cucumber".

"We couldn't believe it, he didn't look fazed at all.

"We weren't sure what to do, you have to be so careful. We didn't want to drag him back and end up being done for assault ourselves."

But Daniel and Darren performed a citizen's arrest and ushered the man back.

Darren added: "He came back in and seemed really calculating, then he said 'well, seeing as you have me here against my will, I'd like a glass of water'. It was beyond strange."

Police arrived at about 4.30pm and arrested a 21-year-old man from Northfleet.

Later, a 34-year-old man was arrested in Wallis Park, Northfleet. Both men have been bailed until April 18.

Police said inquiries were ongoing.