AN IT worker caught with child abuse images escaped a prison sentence after police took more than two years to charge him.

Kyle Williams had more than 9,000 pictures and videos, but Judge Christopher Compton criticised police as the case had taken more than two years to reach a conclusion.

He said: “One of the reasons for this humane sentence is that although (police) have an awful lot to do and no doubt they are overworked and underpaid, it is to my mind wrong that this matter came to light in summer 2010 and I sentence you in the autumn of 2012.”

Williams had more than 6,000 of the least severe level one images; 472 at level two; 1,194 images and 13 videos at level three; 1,256 images and 322 videos at level four and 225 images and 20 videos at the most severe level five.

Twenty images were of babies and 106 were of under-fives.

Williams, of Elizabeth Jennings Way, Oxford, admitted seven charges of making indecent photographs of children and one of possessing indecent photographs of children for show.

The latter related to material available through web-sharing service LimeWire. Judge Compton said while he accepted Williams did not intend to share them through the service, they could have been.

Discussions with probation chiefs had shown Williams could not get “the treatment that in my view you need and deserve”, the judge said.

He sentenced him to a community order, supervision requirement and 120 to 160 hours at a sex offender group work programme, all to run for three years.

Recognising he had suffered isolation and loneliness, Judge Compton said: “You got stuck and in fact there is quite a lot of hope for you. But you will have to work very hard and I accept you are doing therapy.”

Wendy Hewitt, prosecuting, said suspicions were raised by employees of a pharmaceutical company about material being looked at by Williams, who worked there as an IT contractor.

Eight indecent images were found on his laptop and a police warrant recovered further material from his home, she said.

Jeannie Mackie, defending, said Williams is “absolutely a man of good character”.

She said he had to go to a police station four or five times to see if he was to be charged before being charged in April this year.

Miss Mackie said: “Over the two-year period it has been a matter of very great concern and stress to him.”

She added: “This is a man in isolation, a solitary man. Through various psychological and psychosexual reasons (he) had this habit of which he is deeply ashamed.”