UK pervert jailed for child porn possession

A former print worker has admitted downloading and distributing more than 300,000 indecent images of children in what police say is the biggest case of its kind the UK has ever seen.

Michael Latimer, 51, was jailed for seven years after police discovered 220 computer discs full of explicit pictures of children and babies.

Lewes Crown Court heard how more than 600,000 pornographic images were found on Latimer's computer at his home in Goldstone Street, Hove, East Sussex. Half were of adults while the remainder were of children.

Judge Richard Brown said the images represented a "vile and evil activity" on a scale never before seen.

Latimer, who worked at a printing ink manufacturers, admitted 23 counts of possessing and distributing indecent material. Police discovered he was part of an Internet club. To join, members had to provide images of children.

Officers from the Brighton and Hove Child Protection Team also found 500 videos, 30 floppy discs and obscene magazines containing pornographic images of children. The Sussex Police specialist computer unit was forced to buy in new, high-power equipment to process all the pictures.

DC Mike Parkinson, of the Brighton & Hove City Child Protection Team, paid tribute to the officers who worked on the case. He said: "The sentence given today reflects the nature of these crimes.

"The Crown Prosecution Service has looked at previous cases and the largest amount of images seized before was 70,000. Clearly this far exceeds that and may well be used as a test case.

"It was a big joint effort to bring this case to court and everyone worked very hard on it."