A man who downloaded more than 3,000 indecent images of children has walked free from court after a judge said he needed treatment for his problems rather than punishment.
David Cornwell, 64, of Middle Green, Higham, Bury St Edmunds, admitted three offences of making indecent images of children, two offences of possessing indecent images of children and one offence of possessing extreme pornographic images, featuring animals.
Sentencing Cornwell at Ipswich Crown Court, Recorder Guy Ayers said: “These are not victimless crimes. Every time you click on theses images what you are looking at is a child that is being abused by someone.”
He made Cornwell the subject of a three year community order and ordered him to attend the Internet Sex Offenders’ Programme. Cornwell also has to pay £500 costs, is the subject of a sexual offences prevention order and has to sign on the sex offenders’ register for five years.
Robert Sadd, prosecuting, said that on a scale of one to five, with level five being the most serious, Cornwell had 2,129 indecent images at level one, 285 at level two, 765 at level three, 574 at level four and nine at level five.
Charles Myatt, for Cornwell, said his client had no previous convictions and had not saved the images.
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