A 32-YEAR-old man who denied having a sexual interest in children despite possessing 48 indecent images of young people aged between one and 10 years old has escaped an immediate jail sentence.

James Walsh, of Gregory Close in Old Hall, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to possessing and making indecent images of children.

Walsh was arrested after police received intelligence that he had been downloading images on August 29 last year.

A total of 48 images and 13 videos, ranging from the most serious category A to category C, were found on Walsh’s laptop.

Prosecuting, Jayne Morris said: “He denied he had a sexual interest in children. He said that the officer had taken things out of context.

“He accepts possession but concluded by saying he hadn’t looked for them. However, he had used the necessary search terms including ‘pre teen’ – he deliberately used the relevant search terms.”

In an interview with the police after his arrest, Walsh said he was using a file-sharing website to download music when he became curious about how people access indecent images.

But laptop data showed that Walsh had been accessing indecent images since 2008.

Defending, Sarah Griffin said Walsh had no previous convictions and was willing to take part in a rehabilitation programme.

She said: “He was still denying that he had any interest in children but he has since admitted that he accessed the material because he was sexually interested in children.”

Judge Nicholas Woodward, sentencing, said: “You have to be dealt with for your downloading of indecent images of very young children and those offences occurred over a number of years.

“It’s clear that you were actively searching online for that sort of material. You told police and probation that you did not have any interest in children.

“In court you have admitted that you did have that desire. That allows you to be dealt with by the court in a way that involves some form of treatment.”

Walsh was handed a two-year suspended sentence with a 35-day rehabilitation course and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £425.