CARER David Harrison has been spared a prison sentence for downloading child pornography.

Magistrates decided not to send Harrison, of Hartmoor Road, Devizes, to prison after hearing that he cared for his sick wife.

Instead magistrates sitting at Andover imposed a three-year community rehabilitation order with the condition that he attends a sex offenders' programme. He will also be on the sex offenders register for five years.

At an earlier hearing Harrison, 40, pleaded guilty to ten charges of making indecent photographs of children and one charge of possessing child pornography.

Becky Abbott, prosecuting, told the court that police searched Harrison's home in February this year where they seized two computers and various CDs.

On the computer hard drives were found 136 indecent photographs of children.

Miss Abbott said: "Images such as these don't pop on to the screen. They need some positive action to get on to the screen."

Harrison's home was searched after his details were passed on from an investigation begun in 1999 at the premises of Landslide, an internet company.

Child pornography was provided from Russia and Indonesia and Landslide's database had 7,000 website customers.

In May 1999 Harrison had access to the website for 30 days and paid $29.95 US dollars.

Andrew Eddy, defending, urged the magistrates not to send Harrison to prison saying his wife and his four children needed him.

He said: "His wife has is fibromyalgia which causes her to be unable to walk the majority of the time and is in a wheelchair.

"Without the help of Mr Harrison she would not be able to cope. This is a man who is genuinely caring about his family and if he went to prison it would have a significant impact on the family being able to cope."

Mr Eddy added: "Mr Harrison does genuinely not have any recollection of an account with Landslide. During the course of his searches for legal adult material other images popped up."

The magistrates ordered forfeiture of Harrison's computer equipment.