Alexander Mellors 25

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A young pervert found with almost 2,000 sick child abuse images admitted to police he'd had a sexual interest in them since the age of 12. Derby Crown Court heard how police raided the Derbyshire home of Alexander Mellors and seized a number of electronic devices.

On them were images and films of the most serious category which typically show adults abusing young victims in the most disturbing way. The 23-year-old, who the court was told has no friends or social circle, shook in fear in the dock this week as he was spared an immediate term of imprisonment.

Handing him a three-year community order, Judge Shaun Smith QC said: "What you did was bad and the reason it was bad is because the children you were looking at in these pictures are real children being abused by men. And if people continue looking at them then the people can think they can carry on doing it.

"I don't wish to embarrass (you) but (you) have got no friends and (you've) had peer group issues throughout (your) life and (you) have effectively and metaphorically locked (yourself) in (your) bedroom. You present as a pathetic character and I don't mean that in a horrible way.

"I mean you have suffered and as a result of that now you feel the only thing you can do is to go on your computer and, to quote you, 'go down this rabbit hole' and carrying on looking."

Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said police raided the Sandiacre home of Mellors on December 3, last year. He said: "Police officers had information there may be someone downloading indecent images of children and so they executed a warrant.

"Seized was a USB stick, an Apple phone, a PC power, an Xbox and an HP laptop and within them were found a number of indecent images of children. In total there were 304 x category A images (the most serious) and 25 movies; 332 category B images and seven films; 999 category C images and seven movies and 191 prohibited images (of children).

"Mr Mellors was interviewed and he was quite candid. He said he had a sexual interest in children but had only downloaded the prohibited images. He said he'd had such an interest since the age of 12. He is a man of good character."

Mellors, of Victoria Road, pleaded guilty to possession of prohibited images of children and three counts of possessing indecent images of children. His mother and father were in the public gallery to support their son.

Addressing his defence barrister, Joe Harvey, Judge Smith said: "I am not sending him to prison, if I do it will be a short sentence and he will get absolutely no assistance."

Joe Harvey, mitigating, replied: "It is assistance he is absolutely desperate for, he is a young man that presents as younger than his age."

As part of the community order, Mellors will have to attend 30 rehabilitation sessions and a 42-day sex offender rehabilitation programme. He was also ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work and was handed a five-year sexual harm prevention order.

The defendant will be on the sex offender register, also for five years. Judge Smith said: "You don't want to go to prison do you?"

A visibly upset Mellors replied from the dock: "No."

Judge Smith said: "Of course you don't, keep out of trouble, stop looking at these images and you won't. Don't cause your parents any more hassle."