A man has been jailed for 18 months after police found thousands of pornographic photographs of children on his home computer.
Ronald Fuller pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to 18 charges under the Protection of Children Act.
The court heard that Fuller, from Kent, had nearly 40,000 indecent images of young children which he advertised for exchange on the internet.
He is believed to be the first person to be charged under every section of the act, for the taking, making, distribution, possession and advertising of indecent images of children.
Detective Constable Andy Murray from the Metropolitan Police Paedophile Unit said: “We know that paedophiles are increasingly using the internet to exchange pornographic pictures of children.
“If they think they are anonymous in cyberspace they are wrong. Police technology in this area is increasingly sophisticated and if individuals are dealing in child pornography over the internet then we will catch them.
“Fuller committed serious offences which involved the exploitation of young and vulnerable children.
“Every indecent image of a child is evidence of a serious sexual crime and Fuller was in possession of thousands of them.”
An investigation was launched in April last year after bosses where Fuller worked became suspicious and called in the police.
Images of children were found stored on the hard drive of his computer at home.
