A dad was caught downloading almost 2,000 indecent pictures of children after a tip-off by authorities in the US.
Mark Shotton was with his children and grandchildren when police attended his home and found hundreds of images of children on laptops and memory sticks.
Officers had been alerted by American agency the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The majority of these images were of boys, mainly aged between 10 and 12 years and 365 were in the most serious category. There were also 319 category B pictures and 1,242 in category C.
Shotton, 51, of Thistle Rise, Middlesbrough, immediately admitted the offences which were carried out between 2011 and 2013.
Defending, Andrew Turton, told Teesside Crown Court: “He has been aware of his problem for some time but was unaware of how he could get help.”
Judge Peter Armstrong gave Shotton a three-year community order with a supervision requirement and a sexual offences prevention order for five years. He was also ordered to attend a programme for sex offenders.
“If anyone thinks that’s a soft option it won’t be because that programme is difficult for offenders to undergo,” said the judge.
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