A PERVERT who downloaded 950 indecent photographs of children from the internet “richly deserved” to go to prison, according to a judge at Worcester Crown Court.

The vile images included masochism which involved a boy tied up and sexually abused, said prosecutor Charles Hardy.

Sixty-five of the images were of the top level of depravity and the haul seized by police from Graeme Glendinning’s home included 43 downloaded videos.

Judge Alistair McCreath told 54-year-old Glendinning, of Alton Park, Callow End, near Worcester, that child pornography did “real harm to real children”.

He went on: “I don’t know if you really understand at a deep level that these are real children.

"You, and people like you, derive pleasure from it, so you encourage the production of this revolting material.

“I have no hesitation in saying that you should be punished and sent to prison for it. You richly deserve such punishment.”

Under sentencing guidelines, Glendinning would be released from a jail term after only a few months – and “you would come out unchanged and the risk would be unaddressed”.

By rights, Glendinning should go to prison so that he could reflect on his crimes, and then be treated afterwards.

But the judge said parliament had taken such dual-purpose sentences away from the courts.

He gave the defendant a three-year community order on condition he attends a sex offenders’ treatment programme.

Glendinning was also ordered to have alcohol treatment for six months.

Under a sexual offences prevention order, he must also have no contact with children under 16 and must register as a sex offender for five years.

Glendinning, who pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs and possessing them, downloaded the images between January 2006 and April last year.

Mark Lister, defending, said his client was a man of previous good character except for motoring offences.