Brierley Hill man caught with 24,500 "vile" child porn pics avoids jail (From Stourbridge News)

Brierley Hill man caught with 24,500 "vile" child porn pics avoids jail

10:15am Tuesday 30th October 2012 in Local

A 52-YEAR-OLD Brierley Hill man caught with more than 24,500 "vile" indecent photographs and movies of children has avoided being locked up.

Judge Michael Challinor told David Hornbuckle the sickening images in his collection showed young children who had been "sexually abused in horrific circumstances."

But he ruled it would be better for Hornbuckle to receive rehabilitation in the future to tackle his "addiction"rather than serve a "short time" behind bars.

When police went to Hornbuckle's former home in Collis Street, Amblecote, they seized his computer equipment and recovered 24,527 indecent images and movies - Mark Rees, prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court.

He said the material found also included images of extreme pornography involving bestiality.

Hornbuckle admitted five charges of making indecent images of children, three of making indecent moving images and possessing 881 prohibited still images and six prohibited moving images.

He further admitted another charge of possessing an extreme pornographic image and having another 113 extreme pornographic images.

Hornbuckle also pleaded guilty to a charge of having another three extremely pornographic images portraying "in an explicit and realistic way an act that that threatened a person's life."

The judge told him: "Most people fail to understand why anyone would wish to download the vile sort of material that was found on your computer."

Hornbuckle was given a three-year community order coupled with three years supervision and a condition he attends the Sex Offenders Programme.

He was further told he must register as a sex offender for the next five years and also made the subject of a ten-year Sexual Offenders Protection Order.

Andrew Jackson, defending, told the court the offending had resulted in "devastating personal consequences" for Hornbuckle since his arrest including the break-up of his marriage.

But he stressed Hornbuckle, now of Church Hill, Brierley Hill, was already taking determined steps to seek assistance for his problems so he could put his life back in order.