A MAN who claimed he downloaded child porn to help him understand why his own father allegedly sexually abused him has been jailed.

Joseph Szabo, 46, of Marney Road, Grange Park, was sentenced to six months in prison followed by a two-and-a-half year community rehabilitation order once he is released.

Swindon Crown Court heard police discovered 656 images on his computer and on a number of floppy discs and CD-ROMs, many of which showed extreme sex acts between adults and children.

Police swooped on his home in November 2002 after an investigation into a child porn internet company in the US state of Texas called Landslide, revealed a list of 7,000 UK subscribers.

Investigations found Szabo had subscribed to the site 11 times between 1998 and 1999.

Prosecutor Claire Marlow told the court that when Szabo was first arrested, before the police could analyse his computer, Szabo admitted in interview that they would find hardcore porn.

He admitted to officers that he was turned on by some of the images.

Out of the total images recovered, there were two that were graded at level 5 the most serious with 102 at level four.

Chris Smyth, defending, said: "This is a man who has been extremely frank during the whole of the investigation. He does not want to excuse his conduct by his early experiences, but in my view they are significant.

"He separated from his wife and had left home at the age of 16 after years of abuse from his father."

Mr Smyth said that his client had been forced to perform indecent acts on his father and his friends.

"When he initially searched for the sites, he was trying to understand what had happened to himself and also to see if he could see any pictures of himself on the internet as he knew pictures had been taken," he said.

"There is no question that the material was ever distributed and he has never had any contact with any children.

"It was voyeurism on his part that went no further."

Mr Smyth added that Szabo's early experiences had desensitised to the material and had made him always question his sexuality.

Sentencing him, Judge John McNaught said: "I have taken into account that you are a man of previous good character.

"No one could have done more to be co-operative with the police.

"The investigation has taken a long time with this hanging over your head.

"There is no question of distributing or showing these images to anyone else.

"But I have to follow the guidelines set for me by higher courts.

"The type of images concerned call for me to impose a prison sentence of six months, which means you will serve half your sentence."

Szabo will also have to sign the sexual offenders' register for the next 10 years.

He was also ordered to forfeit his computer and software.

Jamie Hill