A sick paedophile found with a hoard of vile images including sex acts on children and sex with animals told police he ”didn’t realise it was illegal”.
Twisted Charles Reed, 57, was found with a stash of 77 videos showing sex with animals including dogs, horses, monkeys, chickens – and even FISH.
He also had 687 indecent images depicting sick sex acts on children.
Reed admitted eight counts of making indecent photos of a child, one of possessing indecent photos of a child and four of possessing extreme pornographic material.
But the lorry driver walked free from Cambridge Crown Court.
Judge Anthony Bate told Reed: ”There are real children, probably in some far out country, who are suffering when these are made.
”They are only made because there are people who are prepared to look at it.”
Officers raided his home in Royston, Herts., on December 3 last year and found a sickening hoard of child and animal porn.
Reed told them he was ”surprised” it was illegal, adding: ”I have a lot of DVDs but I don’t have any child porn or anything like that.”
But police found hundreds of indecent photos, of which 13 were at level four – the second most serious categorisation of child porn material.
There were 21 images at level three and three pictures at level two but the majority were at level one.
Marti Blair, prosecuting, said: ”Generally his view was that he didn’t realise these images were indecent.”
Reed was given a three year sexual offender’s order and was banned from using a computer unless monitored by police. He is also banned from working with children.
Married Reed, whose wife and two grown up children were in court for sentencing, was also ordered to pay £500 costs.