A MAN who was found to have distributed vile images of child abuse has been jailed for two years and eight months.

Michael Parfitt, who was convicted of possessing similar material in his teens, used the images to prove his depravity to other perverts online.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court on Tuesday how officers investigating users of a file sharing network caught the 27-year-old.

They went to his home in Marshmead, Hilperton, where they confiscated his computers and storage media.

On them they found numerous pictures and movies of child abuse, many at the most serious category A, as well as chat room logs.

In the conversations he spoke about kidnapping children and wanting to then sell them and what he wanted to do to children.

Mr Meeke said that one of the videos of a child being abused was so disturbing even the defendant was distressed by it.

Parfitt, now of Cotswold View, Bath, pleaded guilty to distributing and possessing indecent images of children

The court was told he was put on a referral order when he was 17 years old for making indecent images of children.

Mike Jeary, defending, said that the images had been distributed online to like-minded people, and that when Parfitt was on the youth order for his past offending he had received little or no direct help, just going and taking to a probation officer.

He added that since his latest arrest he had carried out an internet course and was otherwise a productive member of society, with a job.

Jailing him Judge Peter Blair QC said "These offences easily pass the threshold for you to receive a prison sentence.

"There are aggravating features which are a particular concern to me.

"The ages of the children whose abhorrent sexual abuse you were finding attractive to yourself and who must have had their lives ruined by their abusers is significant, there being very young children involved.

"These weren't simple photographs, there were quite significant numbers of moving images as well which you downloaded and used for your own purposes and distributed to other people.

"There were a significant number of images not just at the lower category C but at Categories B and A, which involves sexual activity.

"This isn't the first time you have appeared before a court for matters of this sort: there can never have been any doubt in your mind that these were criminal offences. You don't seem to have responded to what may have been relatively little intervention in your referral order when you were 17 years old.

"That this abhorrent material was of abused child images and videos on the internet and file sharing is something that is punished severely."

Parfitt must also register as a sex offender for life and is subject to a sexual harm prevention order restricting his use of the internet.

An NSPCC spokesperson for South West England said: “Parfitt owned and distributed a number of indecent images and videos of children being abused – many of which fell within the most serious category of offending.

“The sexual harm prevention order imposed in this case must be policed effectively after Parfitt is released from prison to aid his rehabilitation and to prevent any further repeats of his offending.

“The youngsters in these films and pictures are the victims of unspeakable and horrific abuse and the harrowing experiences they endured for the images to be created should not be underestimated.

“Our It’s Time campaign calls on government to ensure all abused children are given the necessary support to help overcome their ordeals.”

Any adult concerned about the welfare of a child or young person can call the NSPCC helpline for free 24/7 on 0808 800 5000. Meanwhile, children can call ChildLine on 0800 1111.