Carer caught with more than 2,000 child abuse images

Police found the illegal collection that had been downloaded by Michael Kerr during a visit to his home, where he also had small amounts of cannabis and amphetamine.

Kerr, 37, of Church View, Concord, Washington, admitted two charges of making indecent images of children and possessing the class B drugs.

Newcastle Crown Court heard 28 of the images were category B and 2,185 category C, which is the least serious of the type.

Prosecutors accepted the drugs were for personal use.

Mr Recorder David Gordon sentenced Kerr to a three year community order with programme and rehabilitation requirements plus a three-month curfew.

Kerr has to sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

The judge warned that image offences are not "victimless" and added: "Each and every child depicted in each and every image, disgusting images, is avictim.

"They are being abused by someone and if it wasn't for people like yourself, prepared to view those online and download the images, there perhaps would not be any market for these kind of images and these children would not be subjected to abuse in quite the same way.

"These are serious matters."

The court heard Kerr has previous convictions but none for any sexual offending.

Susannah Proctor, defending, said Kerr is a former factory worker who now cares for his mother, who has health problems.

Miss Proctor said Kerr made full admissions when he was confronted by the police and added: "He has been paralysed with fear in anticipation of today's hearing."