A BUSINESSMAN found to have more than 3,550 child porn images on his home computer and a CD has been jailed for 14 months.

Kevin Ryder, 45, was living in Otford, near Sevenoaks, when officers raided his house in October last year.

A judge told the 45-year-old: "This type of activity is abhorrent and without in the first place your purchasing power and, thereafter, your ability to download from your computer, this type of criminal offence could not flourish."

Ryder, now of Laxton Walk, Kings Hill, West Malling, admitted 28 charges of possessing indecent images of children and three of making indecent images.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Ryder was arrested as a result of a police operation launched in the United States in 1999.

Jane Scotchmer, prosecuting, said suspects were identified by their use of credit cards to access websites. Details of British offenders were passed to police in this country.

Ryder had paid for 90-day access to a site and the contact address for the credit card was his home in Otford.

It was searched on October 10 last year computer equipment was seized. More than 2,600 still and movie images were found. Miss Scotchmer said a CD in the computer contained more than 950 images.

Five were at the most serious level of five, while 151 were level four. The majority were level one.

The prosecutor said the police understood that Ryder was working from home and his business records were on his computer. He now rented premises.

Andrew Lewis, defending, said Ryder accepted that a computer at home was "a temptation too far". He had decided to undergo therapy.

Ryder had been made redundant from a well-paid job in the City. He started his own business, which provided employment for 60 people abroad.

He was disqualified from working with children for five years and banned from having a computer at home. He will remain on the sex offenders’ register for five years.