A pervert who had a stash of child porn on his computer has walked free from court so he can get help.
Graham Briggs, 28, deliberately went on social networking sites to look for the images, Burnley Crown Court heard.
The defendant, who had never been in trouble before, had more than 80 obscene pictures and has now had his use of the internet controlled by a sexual offences prevention order.
Briggs, of Malham Avenue, Accrington, admitted four counts of possessing an indecent photo of a child and had been committed for sentence by magistrates.
He was given 20 weeks in jail, suspended for two years, with 12 months supervision.
The defendant, who had spent 30 days in custody, was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for seven years and given a five-year sexual offences prevention order.
Stephen Parker, prosecuting, said at the end of last year Briggs had been staying with friends in Bacup.
He was allowed to use their computer and they found the indecent images of what appeared to be children.
The defendant was asked to leave, he did and the friend later contacted the police.
Officers took the computer away for analysis and police then went to Briggs’ home where they seized a computer and sent it for examination.
The high-tech crime unit discovered 83 indecent images, two of them at level four, 74 at level one and seven at level three.
The defendant was interviewed and owned up. Briggs’s solicitor told the hearing he was full of shame and remorse and had been more than frank with police officers.
Judge Beverley Lunt said he plainly needed supervision. She said: "The only way to protect the public from him and him from himself is to put a suspended sentence in place with a supervision order."
The judge told Briggs: "You need to confront what you have done with professionals."
