Vicar possessed indecent images

A vicar who admitted possessing 2,000 indecent images of children has been ordered to take part in a rehabilitation programme.

Trevor Diaper, 58, recently of St Peter's Church in Bocking, Essex, told police he "obtained gratification" from viewing the images.

Judge Christopher Ball QC, sitting at Chelmsford Crown Court, gave Diaper a three-year community order.

He said Diaper had already spent seven-and-a-half months in custody.

Judge Ball also told Diaper he must take part in the Thames Valley Sex Offenders Programme and be under supervision for three years.

'Habit of downloading'

Diaper was made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order and also placed on the sex offenders register for five years.

The court heard that officers found a total of 1,970 images and videos on Diaper's computer and external memory drives when they searched the church's vicarage in June last year.

Diaper admitted six counts of downloading indecent images of a child and a seventh charge of possessing indecent photographs of children at a previous hearing.

Andrew Jackson, prosecuting, said: "He told the police that since about the year 2000 he had been in the habit of downloading indecent images of children from the internet."

Mr Jackson said some of the images and videos showed children under the age of eight.

Outside court, Chris Newlands, chaplain to the Bishop of Chelmsford, said Diaper was now going to be subject to disciplinary procedures of the church.

"We will do what we can to ensure that someone who has done such serious crimes - which he has pleaded guilty to - won't be ministering in church again."

Diaper, who had been living in the parish since 1992, now lives in a different part of the country.