A FORMER studio photographer from Faversham whose computer contained indecent pictures of children and “grossly unpleasant” images and films featuring the sexual abuse of animals has been ordered to carry out unpaid work in the community.

Glenn Buchan, 30, of Thomas Neame Avenue, Faversham, hung his head in the dock at Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday as he was given a three-year community order and a five-year sexual offences prevention order.

He admitted 11 counts of possessing films and images depicting depraved acts between humans and a number of species of animal including dogs, chickens, donkeys, a gerbil and eels.

He also pleaded guilty to four counts of possessing indecent photographs of children, which were discovered on his laptop and hard drive during a police raid in January, 2010.

The court was told officers raided Buchan’s house, which he shares with his fiancée Victoria, a teacher, who is said to be standing by him.

When interviewed, Buchan said he used a recovery programme to download the files, because he was curious about what a previous owner had used it for.

He found numerous indecent images, which he opened and deleted, but continued to download repeatedly over the next few months.

He confessed to feeling aroused by the images and said he used them for sexual gratification.

Most of the images concerned in Buchan’s case were at level one – the least severe category.

Sentencing Buchan, Judge Jeremy Carey said there needed to be “a degree of rehabilitation and a degree of punishment”, but concluded that Buchan had already experienced “considerable punishment already,” due to his “disgrace and sense of guilt.”

Buchan’s three-year community order requires him to have supervision by a probation officer, while his five-year sexual offences prevention order prohibits him from having unsupervised contact with children, or using a home computer without software preventing the downloading of child abuse images.

Buchan is also required to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, and attend the Thames Valley sex offender programme.