Surveyor jailed for child porn

Thorne's defence said he had led a respectable working life

A retired surveyor has been jailed for nine months for downloading hundreds of child pornography photos.

John Thorne was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday after police raided his home on 18 February.

The court heard that the 61-year-old was arrested after a link up between British and American enforcement agencies.

A large quantity of material discovered in the United States led to an investigation into access in England, the court was told.

The great mischief of this is that it's too easy to forget that real children are used in the production of these images

Judge Adele Williams

When police raided Thorne's home in Mynn Crescent, Bearsted, Kent, they found a printed image of a naked girl.

Examinations of his two computers led to the discovery of 1,500 indecent photos of girls as young as eight in pornographic poses.

Married Thorne, who admitted 15 specimen charges of making indecent photos of children, told officers he visited the internet sites out of curiosity accessing them by using his credit card.

Defending Thorne, Simon Wickens said: "He has led a respectable working life as a surveyor up to his 61st year. He has no convictions or cautions. He used his computer as a top shelf magazine."

'Great tragedy'

Judge Adele Williams told Thorne: "There is a great deal of difference in looking at pornography and looking at child pornography.

"The great mischief of this is that it's too easy to forget that real children are used in the production of these images.

"It is always a great tragedy to see a man like you standing in the dock charged with such offences as this.

"But make no mistake about it, those who download images such as these through the internet must expect a custodial sentence."

Thorne was placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.