Child porn man Lawrence Grey is a hate figure

A DEVONPORT Dockyard electrician was taunted and spat at by colleagues and neighbours after being caught downloading child pornography from the internet, a court has heard.

Lawrence Grey was told not to come into work and had become a virtual recluse because of the hatred shown from workmates and neighbours, his counsel said.

Grey, 57, told police he had never had a lasting relationship with a woman, adding: "Who the hell would want me? You're a fat git, Larry."

Plymouth Crown Court heard that when police raided Grey's home in Benbow Street, Stoke, at 8am on October 1 last year, they had seized a digital camera, a laptop and a debit card.

Grey told them: "I have looked at child pornography; that's what you're looking for, isn't it?"
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He later admitted two charges of making indecent images of children and 10 of possessing indecent images of children,

Emma Birt, prosecuting, said analysis of Grey's computer showed he had looked at 2,977 level 1 images of children ? the least serious category ? 33 level 2, 44 level 3, 50 level 4 and three level 5, the most serious category.

Grey admitted he had been accessing child porn since 2005 and his main interest was in girls aged 13 to 16, but he had looked at pictures of younger children and had been tempted to sample more hardcore material. He told police he knew what he had done was wrong, and he was glad to be caught.

Ali Rafati, for Grey, said he had stored just 10 of the mildest images on his computer, adding: "This is not a man with a library he has collected and saved; there was no distribution, no production and no pictures were taken.

"Since his arrest he has had to go into hiding after suffering taunts, verbal abuse and spitting from neighbours and at work.

"He has been suspended from coming to work, by agreement, for his safety; it is inconceivable that he can go back to his job."

The judge, Recorder Christopher Parker QC, sentenced Grey to four months in jail on each count, suspended for 24 months, with 24 months' supervision by the Probation Service.

He also ordered him to complete the 70-hour Internet Sex Offenders' Treatment Programme, imposed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for five years and also ordered the destruction of Grey's computer.

This is Plymouth