Martyn Richens at Swindon Magistrates Court Picture Ref: 77276-260A PERVERT from Swindon who downloaded nearly 4,000 images of child pornography from the internet has escaped a prison sentence.
Martyn Richens, of Redruth Close, Park North, would regularly look at photos of naked children as young as six, Swindon Magistrates’ Court heard.
He was snared after the FBI helped smash a child porn ring in the US state of Texas which held a list of 7,000 subscribers.
Police discovered that the 30-year-old was a customer after his bank, Lloyds TSB, confirmed that there had been a series of transactions between September 2000 and December 2002.
Richens, who used to work for a Swindon insurance company, pleaded guilty to 16 charges of possessing child porn at Swindon Magistrates’ Court in February.
Yesterday he was handed a two-year community rehabilitation order and ordered to attend a sex offenders’ programme.
He must also sign on to the sex offenders’ register for the next five years.
Frank Murphy, prosecuting, said: “The defendant was interviewed and said in that interview that he was unaware that looking at photographs of naked people under 16 was illegal.”
Out of the total of 3,911 images and movies recovered, there was one graded at level 5 the most serious with 11 pictures at level three, 91 images and one movie at level two and 3,802 pictures and five movies at level one.
David Gostling, defending, said Richens had endured a torrid time since his arrest in 2002 with the court case hanging over him.
Mr Gostling said: “That has placed a very severe stress on him. It would place a severe stress on anybody.
“He has not quite understood, (a) why he has done it and (b) why it’s viewed so seriously.”
But the court heard that Richens had sought counselling and was beginning to realise what he had done.
“He is slowly gaining an understanding on the abuse of the victims,” Mr Gostling said.
“You have got a man who, albeit slowly, is not just coming to terms with what he has done but coming to understand it.”
Deputy district judge Pattinson said that he had been close to sending Richens to prison.
He told him: “Considering the number of images and particularly the fact that some of them were more serious images than are usually made, custody was very much on the cards.
“But I have stepped back from taking that course.
“I am satisfied that you have started to gain some understanding into the fact that there are victims in offences of this sort.”
Richens must also pay £150 costs at a rate of £4 a week and his computer has been taken away.
