A pornography ‘addict’ was caught with thousands of child sex abuse images.

Dad-of-one Luke Pietersen, 40, told police he’d amassed his vile collection of indecent images and videos over two years.

He said he’d been addicted to what he called ‘normal pornography’ but began looking at the illegal material after he was sent a zip file containing child sex abuse images.

In total, he had 104 images and videos in the most serious category – A – 135 in category B and more than 8,000 images in category C. The majority of the files showed children aged five to 12, prosecutor Jan Hayne told Oxford Crown Court.

Sentencing Pietersen to 10 months’ imprisonment suspended for a year and a half, Judge Maria Lamb said: “I’m told you are thoroughly ashamed of your behaviour. I hope you are. You should be sickened by it.”

She added: “I think you perhaps do now realise the damage that is caused to those who are victims of these offences. These are not, as you acknowledge, victimless offences.”

Emma Hornby, mitigating, said of her client: “He is clearly remorseful for his actions. Unusually in such a case as this he made admissions in interview. He was cooperative with the police.

“He is a man of 40 years of age and prior to this incident had no previous convictions.

“You will have read from the pre-sentence report that Mr Pietersen started off viewing adult pornography. It was on such a regular basis and things became more extreme and that is when he turned to viewing indecent images of children, something he is thoroughly ashamed of.”

His arrest was described as the ‘wake up call that he needed’. He had since approached the Stop it Now campaign, managed by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, which works to stop men from viewing child sex abuse material.

Pietersen was still in a relationship and had a young daughter. Ms Hornby said: “He wants to be the father figure to his daughter that he knows he can be.”

The defendant, of Marston Road, Oxford, pleaded guilty at the magistrates’ court to possession of indecent images of children.

Judge Lamb ordered Pietersen complete up to 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days as part of his suspended sentence. He must pay £380 in costs.

A sexual harm prevention order will limit his access to the internet for the next 10 years. He will be on the sex offender register for the same period.

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