A PAEDOPHILE who collected over 4,500 perverted images of children being abused has walked free from court.

Christopher Smith, 23, of Broadley Park, North Bradley, admitted downloading the pictures for his own sexual gratification. Guidelines state he should have been jailed for at least a year but Judge John McNaught at Swindon Crown Court decided to instead impose a three-year probation order.

Judge McNaught also refused to ban him from working with children saying I don't think it is necessary to make that order'. Nearly 700 of Smith's pictures showed adults having full sex with children and 30 were of sadomasochism or bestiality.

Shaun Kelly, from national children's charity NCH said: "For those images to be made children were abused, even if it was not directly by this person. "I would be concerned that he was getting the appropriate treatment. Downloading sexual images of children is very serious and needs to be taken seriously."

Paul Cook, prosecuting, told the court Smith's mother contacted police in March 2004 and told officers her son had viewed and printed images of child pornography. Smith said he started looking at the material as a 17-year-old and continued until his arrest four years later.

Mr Cook said Smith started with the less serious pictures but found they no longer stimulated him enough so he moved on to the harder pictures.

He admitted 20 counts of making indecent images of children and one of possession. Alex Daymond, defending, said the charges had been hanging over his client's head for more than two years following his arrest in 2004.

"It is difficult to underestimate what effect this may have on a person," he said. Sentencing, Judge McNaught said because of his family support and honesty with the police the risk of re-offending was best tackled by a sex offenders' treatment programme in the community.

He imposed a three-year probation order and ordered he pay £85 costs. He must also register as a sex offender for five years.

Speaking after the sentence, the officer in charge of the case Pc Simon Guerri-Fear, said: "It would be inappropriate to comment on this specific case because legal proceedings may still be ongoing." If the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, feel the sentence is unduly lenient, they can appeal to the Attorney General. The case could then be referred to the appeal court.

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