Telford man, 38, collected 10,000 indecent images on computer
A 38-year-old Telford man amassed a collection of nearly 10,000 obscene pictures and videos of children and animals, a court heard.
Lam Thai admitted 23 separate charges of making indecent photographs of children and possessing extreme pornography.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard police raided Thai's home address in Willowfield, Woodside, on June 5 last year.
Mr Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said it was part of an investigation into the sharing of child porn through peer-to-peer networks. He said there was no evidence Thai had shared the images – but police found scores of images after he handed over a computer and a number of hard drives.
The prosecutor said in total there were 150 moving images of children and 3,409 still images.
There was also a cache of extreme pornography featuring bestiality.
Mr Dean Easthope, for Thai, said two thirds of the images and films were at the least serious level.
"He has lived a bit of an insular and isolated existence. He has lived a bit of a hermit lifestyle in his room with the computer, and by his own admission through curiosity one thing has led to another," he said.
Mr Easthope said his client had been to university and got a Masters degree and was a self-employed electrician.
Judge Peter Barrie sentenced Thai to a three-year community order, with requirements to be supervised by the probation service and attendance on a sex offender rehabilitation programme.
Sentencing Thai, he said: "You were found with a high amount of unlawful images stored on your computer.
"The total number was approaching 10,000, a high number involving animals, and a high number involving children.
"These are not offences without a victim. Every photo produced is the result of abuse of children. It is a serious matter to be found in possession of images of this kind.
"The number and the rate at which you were collecting them puts this above the basic level of seriousness.
"But, in my view, the public interest would be best served not by imposing a custodial sentence, but by requiring you to follow the sex offender work requirement programme combined with supervision.
"That programme is not an easy option, it will make huge demands on your commitment and time."
