Man found with 'extreme' and child porn at his home is given a community order

A MAN found with "extreme" porn and child porn on his computer has walked free from Lincoln Crown Court.

John Wood was arrested in June last year after police raided his home near Bourne and seized a CD disk and computers.

Phil Howes, prosecuting, said when the items were examined, police found 13 indecent images of children, including naked girls aged as young as eight.

Further extreme pornographic images were found.

John Wood, 38, of The Kippings, Thurlby, near Bourne, pleaded guilty to two charges of possession of a total of 17 extreme pornographic images on June 22 last year.

Wood also admitted a single charge of possession of 13 indecent images of children on the same date.

He was given a three-year community order with a condition to complete a sex offenders' programme.

Wood was also placed on the sex offenders' register for five years.

He was ordered to pay £500 prosecution costs.

Lawrence Bruce, defending, said Wood had no previous convictions and was a man of "impeccable" previous character.

Mr Bruce said: "He is now on Job Seekers' Allowance.

"He lost his employment as a telecommunications engineer in the course of these proceedings.

"This case has caused him personal devastation.

"He has been vilified in the local community and the local press.

"He has had bouts of depression and suicidal thoughts."

Mr Bruce said Wood had suffered a number of "hammer blows" to his life over the past year, including the death of his grandmother and of a teenage son.

He described the child porn images as at the lower end of the scale and said the extreme porn was "the more exotic kind of sexual activity between adults".

Letters from Wood's wife and three stepdaughters were submitted to Judge Michael Heath to consider before sentencing.

He said: "I'm not terribly impressed.

"They obviously don't know him as well as they thought."

Judge Heath told Wood: "You downloaded this stuff for your own sexual gratification.

"I have come to the conclusion the most appropriate way of dealing with this is by imposing a community order."