A DISGRACED former lecturer at University Campus Suffolk has been jailed for three months after police found child porn on his computer.

Kevin Pettican, 63, who lectured in social child care and was a child protection expert, admitted nine offences of making indecent images of children and one offence of possessing indecent images.

Sentencing Pettican, of Felsham Rise, Saxmundham, Judge Peter Fenn said it was clear that he had deliberately sought and downloaded pornographic images, which included 88 moving files and four stills. He said an aggravating feature of the case was that the children in the nine charges of making indecent images were all under the age of 13.

“The point has to be made that for children, particularly of that young age, to participate in the sort of activities that these images depict is very serious sexual abuse of such children.

“You as a result of your professional training and professional activities above anyone else ought to have realised that and to a certain extent the fact that people like you access and view it feeds demand for such material and contributes to that sort of abuse being practised on very young children.”

In addition to jailing Pettican for three months, Judge Fenn made him the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and ordered him to sign on the sex offenders’ register for seven years.

Michael Crimp, prosecuting at Ipswich Crown Court, said that in August last year police officers went to Pettican’s Saxmundham home and seized his computer tower and laptop.

These were forensically examined and a total of 88 moving images and four stills were found on the equipment. He said that although some of the images were at levels one and two on a scale of one to five, with level five being the most serious, 58 of the moving images were at level three and 25 were at level four.

Mr Crimp said there was evidence of search references in terms which suggested that indecent images of children were being specifically sought by Pettican and had not been found accidentally.

Jude Durr, for Pettican, said his client had recently retired as a lecturer and his arrest and prosecution has caused him “the most acute personal and professional embarrassment”.

“This is in reality a very sad case. He has lost everything he has worked for all his life and most importantly his professional reputation and standing. He will never get them back,” said Mr Durr.

He said prior to these offences Pettican had no blemish to his name and in a number of areas had made a positive contribution to society.