Ex-college lecturer downloaded porn

Antony Machiocha, who taught sign language at Kidderminster College, downloaded porn from the internet while he was at work.

Police discovered 95 images on two college computers up to level four severity, the category which shows sex between adults and children.

The youngest victim in the photographs was aged only four, said Samantha Powis, prosecuting at Worcester Crown Court.

Machiocha, 54, of Cherry Orchard, Kidderminster, pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs of children and possessing them.

Judge Michael Mott warned him that the usual sentence for such crimes was a prison sentence but said in view of his previous good character and the fact he was deaf and speechless it would be "inhuman to disregard his disabilities".

He gave Machiocha a three-year community order with supervision by the probation service to curb his future behaviour.

The defendant must also register as a sex offender and have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16.

On May 25 a student discovered three computer printouts lying on a college printer which showed thumbnail images of children, said Miss Powis.

Another member of staff researched the origin of the prints and unmasked Machiocha as the culprit.

The defendant, who was arrested at his home, told police he had harboured an interest in pornography for 30 years and had become addicted to it.

He said he was lonely, especially after his mother died 12 months ago.

Polish-born Machiocha began downloading porn at the college after seeing students printing off adult porn, said Lucy Hawkins, defending.

He was surprised to find cartoons of children on the internet and then developed a "shameful obsession" with child porn.

Keen churchgoer Machiocha, who was sacked from his job, knew he was doing wrong and had made no attempt to minimise his offences, said Miss Hawkins.

His work with hearing impaired people in Wyre Forest won him a community award in 2003.