by Julia Roberts

A pervert who downloaded more than 60 hours of pornographic movie clips featuring children as young as five and scenes of bestiality has been jailed for 10 months.

Andrew Wood, 59, slumped in the dock at Maidstone Crown Court as the judge told him he had not fully accepted responsibility for his behaviour.

At the time of his arrest in October last year Wood told police he had "accidentally" found the images while drunk and looking at adult porn.

He claimed they mostly featured girls aged 13 and 14.

But Maidstone Crown Court heard on Monday that children in the images graded at the two most serious levels were aged from five to 12.

As well as bestiality, the children were also pictured being tied up.

Judge Charles Macdonald QC said the offences were also aggravated by the fact they were committed over a four-year period.

Wood, who was living in Bell Road, Maidstone, when police raided his home, admitted five offences of making indecent images of children and eight charges of possessing indecent images.

Prosecutor Martin Yale told the court the images - both stills and movie clips - were discovered on two laptops.

They were graded at all levels of seriousness, including 76 movies at level four and 10 at level five.

"There were 31 stills and 125 movies," explained Mr Yale, which had a running time of just over 62 hours.

Wood said he looked at the images "out of curiosity" but admitted he found them sexually gratifying.

Mary Jacobson, defending, urged the judge to impose a suspended sentence so Wood, who has no previous convictions, could receive treatment.

"This will be the best and safest way to prevent further offences than putting him in (custody) with more entrenched offenders."

The court heard that retribution had forced Wood to move home three times and he had been living in a bed and breakfast.

Miss Jacobson said Wood's windows had been smashed and his car set on fire.

Wood was made subject to a sexual offences prevention order restricting his access to the Internet and to children, and ordered to sign on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

For more news from Maidstone, see the Kent Messenger newspaper.