A CONVICTED sex offender aged just 19 downloaded more than 1,000 pornographic images of children as a way of dealing with his sexual inclination, a court heard.

Allan Martin was said by his defence counsel, John Barker, to have “adopted the strategy” as he knew he was a risk to himself and “potentially others”.

His conviction for attempted indecent assault at the age of 16 had been “a wake-up call” for him, Mr Barker told a jury at Maidstone Crown Court.

“The strategy was to download the level of pornography that you have seen for his sexual gratification...The reason he is in court today is that strategy.”

The court heard a total of 1,106 indecent images were found on Martin’s computer after a routine police visit to his home in Woolley Road, Southborough, near Tunbridge Wells last July. One particular website listed under his “favourites” was entitled Little Boy Lover Gallery.

The majority of the images were described by police as level one - the least serious - while 10 were level 2 and 12 were said to be level five - the most serious and usually depicting sado-masochism and torture.

However, Deputy Circuit Judge Stanley Spence said after viewing the images that those labelled as level five were, in his opinion, between levels two and three, and none was sufficient to merit imprisonment.

Prosecutor Anne Phillips told the court police visited Martin’s home on a fortnightly basis following his conviction in May 2005 for grabbing a boy by the arm and telling him to expose his underwear or genitals.

Martin was said to be “anxious” to switch his computer off when the two officers called. “When they questioned him he became very nervous and very defensive,” said Mrs Phillips. “He seemed reluctant to answer their questions.”

He told them he used the computer to play games and look up legitimate websites for his parents

Martin had admitted 15 offences of making indecent pictures of children and was committed by Sevenoaks magistrates to the crown court.

He was sentenced to a community order, during which he will be subject to three years’ supervision and must attend 60 sessions of a sex offender treatment programme.

He was also disqualified from working with children, ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for five years and made subject to a sexual offences prevention order restricting his access to computers and the internet until further order.