A PAEDOPHILE downloaded hundreds of sickening images of children being abused – using a computer at a public library.

John Buxton, 33, downloaded more than 1,000 images and videos of children as young as seven.

Buxton, of Hartington Road, Southend, was handed a threeyear community order when he appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Friday.

Sentencing him, Judge Owen Davies QC, said: “It’s difficult to convey just much harm people like you do by creating a market for child pornography.

“Little girls should be cherished and a source of delight, but as far as you were concerned they were a source of sexual gratification.”

Carolyn Gardiner, prosecuting, told the court Buxton was rumbled by a pal who saw child porn on his computer screen.

Police went to the house and seized his computer and CDs.

They found 3,350 images of abuse.

On the computer, they found he had searched a number of explicit terms and for pictures of young girls fromwhen the computer was previously connected to the internet.

During a police interview, Buxton told officers his life had got out of control and he had left the images on his computer screen so his friend would report him to police.

Miss Gardiner said: “He told officers hewent to a public library and changed the security settings.

“He downloaded the images, put them on to a memory stick, then uploaded them to his computer at home because he didn’t have an internet connection.

“On a second occasion he used a library computer to download movies.”

In mitigation, Matthew Bone, told the court his client had huge personal difficulties.

He said: “Leaving the images on the screen was a cry for help.

“He needs that help and is in desperate need of supervision.”

The court heard Buxton had tried to get counselling, but had only been offered nine hours.

Buxton pleaded guilty to six counts of possessing and making indecent images of children between January and July 2013.

Judge Davies said: “This is a very serious social evil.

“This sentence is aimed at rehabilitating you so you are no longer a threat.”

The three-year community order includes a requirement to attend an internet sex offenders treatment programme.

He was given a sex offences prevention order and must forfeit the computer hard drive and CDs.