A railway worker and former Territorial Army soldier who groped a sleeping teenage boy has been jailed for 25 months.

Grant Denyer was told by the sentencing judge that what he did was disgusting and he had brought great shame on his family.

He appeared at Canterbury Crown Court having admitted sexual assault and 18 further offences of making and possessing indecent photos of children between January and August, this year.

Denyer, 47, of Pine Tree Avenue in the city, worked at Canterbury West Station and befriended a teenager, sometimes letting the boy through the barrier without a ticket, said Bridget Todd, prosecuting.

They exchanged mobile numbers and on July 31 the youth travelled into Canterbury with a friend and called Denyer on his friend’s phone. Denyer invited them to his house where he gave them beer and they watched Hot Fuzz on DVD.

At one stage Denyer gave them Jack Daniels and coke but they didn’t like it. He then put on a porn film and showed the youth a picture of a naked woman on his phone, saying he sometimes paid people £20 to let him take naked photos of them.

The boy asked Denyer to turn the porn film off and put Shrek on while his friend was falling asleep. His mother called and Denyer told him to tell her he was at a friend’s of the same age.

The other youth was falling asleep and the boy saw Denyer beside his friend, touching him indecently until the boy rolled over so Denyer couldn’t touch him any more.

Denyer then videoed the boys on his phone and asked the youth if he wanted to earn £20. He refused, woke his friend up and said they should leave. By this time it was 3.28am and they reported the incident to police.

Officers arrested Denyer for sexual assault and when they searched his home they found several hundred indecent images up to the most serious.

Police also found porn magazines depicting children engaged in sex with adults and other children. More images were found on two mobile phones, on Denyer’s computer and a video of a boy aged 10 or 11.

Denyer had no previous convictions and his lawyer, Christopher Sutton-Mattox said there was no suggestion he had been showing or distributing images to others.

He had a long history of solid employment but in the last few years had begun to realise his sexual orientation was towards young males.

Mr Sutton-Mattox said he didn’t seek to try and dissuade the court from the inevitable prison sentence. Although there were a huge number of images, many had been replicated from his phone and downloaded onto his computer then onto hard copy.

“He feels great remorse and self disgust and the effect of his pleas is that the boys have not had to come to court to give evidence,” said Mr Sutton-Mattox.

Denyer had resigned from the Territorial Army where he had been a soldier for 21 years as a result of the offences.

“There is a beginning of understanding of his own sexuality problems, he realises he has a problem and wants to do everything to put it right,” said Mr Sutton-Mattox.

Denyer will be on the sex offenders register for five years and similarly subject to a sexual offences prevention order restricting his contact with children under 18 and banning him from using the internet save at his place of work, a library or other educational establishment.

Jailing Denyer, Judge Timothy Nash there were few good things to be said about Denyer save for his previous good character and gainful employment most of his life.

“These offences are disgusting,” said Judge Nash. He said the sexual assault offence made it impossible to pass any sentence other than imprisonment but it was to be hoped Denyer would get the treatment he needed while in custody.

“You have brought great shame on your family and others whose children were involved,” said the judge.