A MAN who served in the Navy for 14 years has been given a suspended prison sentence for downloading child pornography.

Jane Hunt

A MAN who served in the Navy for 14 years has been given a suspended prison sentence for downloading child pornography.

Police officers who examined Christopher Taylor's home computer found 81 indecent images of children including some of a girl aged five or six, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Taylor, 32, of Fairfax Court, Beccles, admitted 16 offences of downloading indecent images of children and one offence of possessing indecent images of children.

Sentencing Taylor to a 30-week jail sentence suspended for two years, Judge David Goodin described his behaviour as “disgraceful and disgusting”.

He said he initially thought he would send Taylor to an immediate prison sentence. However, in view of his guilty plea, the exemplary service he had given his country while serving in the Navy and his attitude to his offending since his arrest, he felt able to suspend the sentence.

Judge Goodin ordered Taylor to 120 hours' unpaid work in the community and ordered him to sign on the sex offenders' register for 10 years. He also ordered him to pay £500 costs.

Michael Crimp, prosecuting, said the offences came to light in May last year when Taylor and his partner went out leaving his partner's daughter and boyfriend in the house.

While using Taylor's computer they had clicked on an icon which led them to believe he had been downloading child porn and the police were contacted.

A total of 81 indecent images of children were discovered including, on a scale of one to five - with level five being the most serious - 16 at level one, nine at level two, four at level three, 48 at level four and four at level five.

Andrew Thompson, for Taylor, said he had no previous convictions and had served in the Navy for 14 years before getting an honourable discharge. He said Taylor had served in the Gulf and Bosnia conflicts and had two medals.

Since leaving the Navy he had worked as a self-employed coin collector and seller and was doing an Open University Degree.

His relationship with his girlfriend at the time of his arrest had ended, but he was now in a new serious relationship with a woman who was aware of the nature of the charges he was facing.

Mr Thompson said Taylor had not viewed all the images and had not saved them in an orderly way.

Because of his experience with computers while he was in the Navy he could have wiped the files clean but he had not attempted to do this.