Suspended term for child porn man

Images were found on CDs, memory sticks and computer hard drives

A man who posed as a teenage girl and downloaded indecent pictures of children over the internet has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Richard Head, from Bere Alston, Devon was caught after colleagues found indecent pictures in his desk drawer at work and called the police.

At Plymouth Crown Court, the 54-year-old admitted making, distributing and possessing child pornography.

He was sentenced to 12 months, suspended for two years.

Head, who was involved with a parent-teacher organisation, was also ordered to go on a sex offenders' programme and banned from being alone with children or working with children.

The immediate prison sentence you deserve will involve the loss of your job and hardship to your wife and child Judge Francis Gilbert, QC

Andrew Maitland, prosecuting, said colleagues became suspicious about how much time Head was spending on the internet and called the police after finding obscene photographs in his drawer.

Police found a total of 898 images on CDs, memory sticks, the hard drive of his home and office computer, including four which were classed as the second worst category, and on an old laptop he had sold to a second hand shop.

Mr Maitland said: "In his internet exchanges by e-mail he adopted the persona of a 15-year-old girl called Charlotte."

Jo Martin, for Head, said the probation service had recommended a suspended sentence so Head could keep a new job he had just started.

Judge Francis Gilbert QC told Head: "You are assessed as being at low risk of reoffending and the immediate prison sentence you deserve will involve the loss of your job and hardship to your wife and child."