The son of former Tory MP Sir Anthony Beaumont Dark has admitted downloading hundreds of sick child porn images and videos.
Nicholas Beaumont-Dark, 50, willingly shared the pornography with others through a file-sharing network, a court heard.
The stockbroker was arrested at his home in January this year after police executed a warrant and seized his computer tower – where the vile images and movies were found.
At Warwick Crown Court on Wednesday he pleaded guilty to eight charges of making a total of 393 indecent images of children by downloading them onto his computer.
The married father-of-three, from Tamworth-in-Arden, Warks., also admitted eight charges of distributing 388 such images through a file-sharing network.
The court heard the offences involved Beaumont-Dark downloading 50 still images and 30 movies classed as being at level one, six still images and 57 movies at level two, four stills and 14 movies at level three, and 40 stills and 192 movies at level four.
Level one images are defined as involving children in indecent poses without any sexual activity while level four covers adults engaging in penetrative sexual activity with children.
Prosecuting, Theresa Thorp said the distribution offences involved 48 stills and 30 movies at level one, five stills and 56 movies of level two, two still and 15 movies at level three, and 40 still and 192 movies at level four.
Defending Beaumont-Dark, Kristina Montgomery asked for the case to be adjourned for a pre-sentence report.
Judge Marten Coates agreed, adding: “A pre-sentence report in a case like this makes sense.”
* Beaumont Dark’s father, Sir Anthony, known affectionately as Tony, died at the age of 73 in April 2006.
He was as renowned as an outspoken former Conservative MP – who represented Birmingham’s Selly Oak constituency between 1979 and 1992 – and was described by former Conservative leader Michael Howard as a “champion of local government.”
