Faulty computer led to child porn bust
A MAN was caught in possession of child pornography after he asked a company to fix his faulty computer containing nearly 200 indecent images of youngsters.
A MAN was caught in possession of child pornography after he asked a company to fix his faulty computer containing nearly 200 indecent images of youngsters.
Peter McMillan, of Battlesea Green, Stradbroke, near Eye, was given a 13-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, when appeared before Ipswich Crown Court.
The 61-year-old had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to possessing indecent images of children.
Prosecutor Godfried Duah said McMillan contacted Data Tech DTP on July 2 last year saying he had problems with his computer.
The company went to his home and took it away to look for the defect. The hard drive was wiped and the operating system updated.
However, on July 14 McMillan contacted Diss-based Data Tech DTP again as he had been having further problems.
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When his computer was checked again, staff realised there had been a virus on it. This time the hard drive was thoroughly inspected.
During the inspection 183 indecent images of children were found, the majority of which were at the lowest level. Police were alerted and McMillan was arrested.
Mr Duah said 170 images were at level one, another was graded as level two, seven were level three and five were at level four. However, there were no images in the most graphic category of level five.
Judge David Goodin told Philip Farr, representing McMillan: “I have seen the age of the youngest victim, because victims they were, and it's deeply unattractive.”
Judge Goodin then told McMillan: “It's plainly a case for great concern because you did not recognise the extent to which you and people like you feed the demand for this sort of filthy stuff on the internet, and therefore the extent to which you contribute to the misery of the victims who were forced to undergo what they had to undergo.”
As part of McMillan's suspended sentence he will be subject to a supervisory programme and will have to undertake a sex offending programme. He will also have to sign the sex offenders' register for seven years and cannot work, or be alone, with children.
McMillan must also pay �1,100 prosecution costs.
