A TEENAGER downloaded paedophilia from the Internet because he was bullied at school, a court heard today. The 17-year-old youth, from Maidstone, was arrested last March and pleaded guilty to saving six pictures on to a computer from September to December 2000.

Prosecuting solicitor Ruth Hawkins told Mid Kent Combined Youth Court that the teenager had looked at 148 pictures on computers at the homes of both his mother and father.

Some of the pictures were sexually explicit.

Defending solicitor Toby Burrough said the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been the victim of persistent bullying from the age of 11 until the time he committed the offences at 15. He said: "He withdrew into himself and suffered from very, very low self-esteem."

Mr Burrough said his client had downloaded the images to remove his anxiety. He added: "It was to take himself into a safe fantasy world where he did not have low self-esteem and where he was successful." Mr Burrough said the teenager had received counselling and was now in a relationship with an older girlfriend.

He said: "He is now a mature youngster, he is in a relationship and he's moving forward." The magistrates imposed a one-year supervision order on the teenager.