Tipton child porn pervert is spared prison term

After he had been arrested, Jonathan Foster, 24, from Tipton, even exposed himself to a mother and her child while he was a passenger on a bus and they walked along the street next to it.

Computer experts discovered that Jonathan Foster had down loaded almost 600 indecent images of children - both still and moving - of which nearly half were from the two most serious categories of pornography, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Police uncovered the stash in a swoop on Foster's home in Anderson Gardens, on October 18, 2012, said Mr David Lees, prosecuting.

Various items of computer equipment were seized and taken away for forensic analysis that revealed 599 still and moving indecent images of children - 287 of which were rated among the worst kind of child porn, the court heard.

Mr Lees suggested the actual figure may have been much higher if entry had been gained to inaccessible parts of computer discs recovered from the property.

Foster was arrested and, while on bail for this offence, indecently exposed himself to a mother and her two-year-old child in Blackheath town centre on March 29 of this year, it was said.

Mr Lees said the woman and child were walking along the pavement on the busy Saturday afternoon when the defendant exposed himself to them while a passenger on the No. 53 bus.

The prosecutor continued: "The bus was moving slowly due to the amount of traffic and fortunately a police car was nearby allowing officers to board the bus and arrest him."

Mr David Houldcroft, defending, said: "He accepts he has a problem and needs help in addressing it. This young man has not been successful with relationships, drifted into adult porn which led him to websites and these images. He clearly has an unhealthy obsession."

Foster, now of Locarno Road, Tipton, pleaded guilty to 11 charges of making indecent images between January 2010 and October 2012 and indecent exposure.

He was told by Judge Michael Challinor: "Most people would expect a prison sentence to be imposed for these kind of offences. They are serious and the second offence of exposure was committed while on bail.

"A prison sentence is deserved but I must follow the sentencing guidelines and they do not allow me to impose a sentence long enough to ensure your rehabilitation or keep you long enough to protect the public, particularly young girls.

The judge, who expressed concern at the 'inordinate' length of time taken to resolve the case', continued: "This can be achieved over three years which is much longer than the period of time you could be sent to prison for. I will deal with this in a way that will do more to protect the public than a short prison sentence."

Foster was given a three-year community order under supervision during which he must attend the community sex offender programme for as long as necessary. He was put on the sex offender register for five years and made the subject of an indefinite sex offender prevention order banning him from accessing the internet in a way that prevents police from checking its use.