AN internet pervert used his computer to email sick photos after it had been handed back to him by police investigating his behaviour, Exeter Crown Court has heard.
Michael Belville, 72, of Shute, near Axminster, in East Devon, was given a three-year community order at Exeter Crown Court.
Belville, who has no criminal record, had pleaded guilty to five charges of distributing indecent images of children and four of possessing them. Prosecutor Tom Bradnock said the images were discovered when police raided his house in Axminster in May last year, following information that he had links to users and distributors of child porn.
Officers discovered that he had emailed some of the images to other men.
Others were found downloaded on a computer which had previously been seized by Avon and Somerset Police in a search in June 2005.
Police had returned the computer, because nothing illegal was found, and he had since downloaded the indecent images onto it.
It was said in mitigation that most of the pictures were category one, which is the least offensive type, although a couple were at level three.
Images are graded from level one to five, which is the worst possible.
The court heard Belville initially denied his crimes although he admitted using a programme to regularly wipe out records on his computer’s hard drive.
Judge Jeremy Griggs said that he was taking into account legal guidelines when sentencing Belville and letters from the defendant’s wife and his medical advisors.
He said the defendant must attend a sex offender treatment programme and be supervised as part of his sentence.
Belville must comply with a Sex Offender Prevention Order for five years.
