A MAN has been jailed for the worst child pornography an experienced policeman has ever seen.

Computer technician Brian Hutchins, 25, was caught with almost 18,000 images and 316 video images of children.

Some of the images included the abuse of a child by babysitters 30 miles away in Reading.

Hutchins, of Evans Lane, Kidlington, admitted 26 charges of possession and distribution of indecent images and was jailed at Oxford Crown Court for two years and eight months.

He was also placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely, disqualified from working with children and ordered not to use the Internet in private.

PC Simon O'Brien, who investigated 90 paedophile cases during Operation Ore, a major UK clampdown on child pornography in the UK, said: "These are the worst images I have ever seen."

Hutchins's Internet details were discovered by police in Scandinavia in June, 2005.

PC O'Brien said: "He was offering information to be shared on the Internet. Finnish police passed us the details and we found the culprit was Hutchins."

PC O'Brien seized CDs and computers from Hutchins's home.

He said: "One particular machine in his bedroom had six hard disc drives in it.

"That was his own personal one and subsequent to that, we found 17,952 indecent images of children and 316 indecent video files of children."

PC O'Brien said catching Hutchins led police to arrest two other paedophiles.

Det Sgt Duncan Wynn, in charge of the Thames Valley Police High Technology Crime Unit, said: "The interesting thing about this case is that it highlights the sophisticated methods being used by Internet-based paedophiles.

"These are new and sophisticated networks of paedophiles not sharing old images, but looking at current sexual abuse."

He said Hutchins had received images of a child being abused by babysitters in Reading.

He said: "We can show links between Hutchins and live paedophiles.

"In relation to the child being abused in Reading, he had more pictures on his computers than the other offenders did. The abuse of that child had gone on over a number of years.

"It shows he was in contact with the people while they were committing the abuse."

Last night, neighbours in Kidlington were shocked to learn about Hutchins's perverted secret life.

Neighbour William Side, 59, said: "Anything to do with kids and they should go away for life. It is totally out of order. I used to see him around and he was a big old boy, fatter than me.

"I couldn't imagine him ever doing that. I am sickened. I can't see why people get up to that sort of thing."

Another neighbour said: "I never thought that could happen down here. I am shocked.

"He always seemed reasonable.

"I wouldn't have ever thought he could be like that. These type of people should be locked up for good."

Anyone with concerns about Internet safety can visit www.ceops.gov.uk or www.iwf.org.uk to find out about the law, and how to report abusive material.