Child porn on council worker’s computer

Keith Clark was at the time employed by Wakefield and District Council Housing department operating from a cabin in Castleford when the other man walked in on him and noticed him looking at an image of a young girl.

The girl was aged 12 to 13 and although clothed appeared in a distressed state. Clark immediately slammed his laptop top shut and threw it to the floor but the man was suspicious and reported what he had seen to his supervisor.

Matthew Bean, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court yesterday Clark was invited to a meeting and when the allegations were put to him some images of females were seen on his laptop.

The police were contacted and on November 16, 2009 attended his home and seized his laptop on which more than 4,800 indecent images were found, often repeated. The majority were at level one, the lowest in seriousness although 15 were of extreme pornography involving adults and animals.

Michael Collins, for Clark, said it had taken two years for his case to get to conclusion and he had been panicking during that time about losing his liberty.

He had given 40 years commitment to Wakefield Council but had been dismissed as a consequence of what had happened for which he was deeply ashamed.

Clark, 58, of Woodmore Drive, Wakefield, admitted making and possessing indecent and extreme images and was given a three year community order with supervision and a condition of attending the sex offender treatment programme.

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for five years and disqualified from working with children.

The Recorder of Leeds, Judge Peter Collier QC told him the children pictured had been corrupted by those who created such images and marketed them for gain.