Child porn shame of York lecturer

Ralph Harrington, 37, told police he was "ashamed and disgusted" when they discovered the pictures on his computer as part of the worldwide child pornography investigation, Operation Ore.

York Magistrates Court heard today that the Institute of Railway Studies lecturer had accessed and stored thousands of images during a two-year period from November 2000.

Magistrates ordered him to undertake a three-year community rehabilitation order and pay £200 costs, and put his name on the Sex Offenders' Register for five years.

Presiding magistrate Joan Visick told Harrington, who was accompanied in court by his wife, that this was a very serious offence. She said: "This is not a victimless crime."

Nicholas Ralph, prosecuting, told the court that police found two computers with thousands of images stored on them at Harrington's home in Farndale Street, York.

They found images of children in various states of undress in erotic poses, and pictures of children aged between ten and 12 performing indecent acts.

Mr Ralph said Harrington had told police it was an "obsession" which he was ashamed of and that he needed help to overcome his problem.

For Harrington, Kevin Blount said his client had expressed "relief" after police discovered the pictures, telling them he was "ashamed and disgusted" at his "secret life".

"He couldn't tell anybody or admit what he was doing to anybody else and felt trapped and desperate to get out," he said.

Harrington admitted 16 specimen charges of creating indecent pseudo-photographs of children between November 200 and November 2002. He also admitted one charge of possessing such images.

York University spokeswoman Hilary Layton said she could not comment on the lecturer's future employment at the institution.

She said: "The university always takes seriously the criminal conviction of any member of staff or any student."

Updated: 15:14 Friday, May 23, 2003