Pervert had more than 500 images of youngsters

Police seized two computers in a search raid on the home of Peter Grimshaw in Hammerwich, Stafford Crown Court heard.

They contained more than 500 pornographic pictures of youngsters, including 36 of the most vile class A.

Miss Fiona Cortese, prosecuting, said police also found seven images of extreme porn involving sexual acts between humans and dogs on his computer.

When the defendant was arrested in January last year, he told officers: "I know what I have done and what I haven't done."

He said he had fantasies involving girls and had spoken about it in chat rooms.

He said he went on internet searches 'incognito' so he did not have to delete his search history and reckoned there were only about 40 to 50 images of children.

But on his laptop there were a total of 496, plus the seven images of bestiality, with another eight images of children on the desktop computer.

Grimshaw, aged 64, of Pingle Lane, Hammerwich, admitted three charges of making indecent photos of children and one of possessing extreme pornography.

Mr Neil Gerrity, mitigating, said Grimshaw had no previous criminal record at all.

He said: "He is a man of positive good character, people have put pen to paper to speak highly of him."

He was given a three year community order to undergo a sex offender treatment programme.

Grimshaw was also ordered to pay £535 costs and register with the police as a sex offender.

Judge John Wait told him: "You should undergo the sex offender group programme designed to reinforce in your mind the fact that every instance of these images taken amounts to abuse of these children.

"They will live their lives knowing people like you - and worse - are poring over their photographs as they circulate worldwide, providing brief, perverted gratification for men."