A PENSIONER who downloaded more than 17,000 sordid pictures of children, some of them as young as a few months old, was jailed for two years.

Derek Lackland, left, was arrested after police, acting on a tip-off, swooped on his home in Dumbledown Towers, Southampton.

The 68-year-old admitted he had become addicted after mistakenly receiving an e-mail with indecent images attached.

Southampton Crown Court was told he hoarded the images, some of which involved sadism and penetration with the victims as young as nine months old, and distributed them to others via chat rooms.

In mitigation, John Jones said Lackland had been co-operative with the police from the moment they arrived at his front door. “He enjoyed looking at the pictures but says he wasn’t sexually aroused by them.”

But passing sentence, Judge Gary Burrell QC said he disagreed.

“This was premeditated. You hoarded these images and it is a concern you still don’t accept your interest in this type of pornography.”