A MAN who had been downloading indecent images for around 30 years claimed he believed the children in them were not being abused but were models.

Richard Lees was called a “collector of images of abuse of children” by a judge after he was found with more than 54,000 indecent photographs.

Police carried out a search of Lees’ home on June 4, 2020, and seized a number of electronic devices, Winchester Crown Court heard on Friday.

Prosecuting, Jack Wright, said that only his desktop computer and mobile phone were examined by police.

The court heard that 11 Category B images and videos were found, but 58,489 Category C images and videos were discovered.

But the true scale of the 45-year-old’s offending could be much greater as more than 500,000 images were uncategorised because “police did not have the resources to download” them.

Lees, of The Orchard, Dibden, was using a BitTorrent to access the images and had three terabytes worth of downloads.

During the investigation police found that Lees would search the same terms and “admitted searching for the same faces on multiple occasions”.

Recorder Power said: “The concern I have, expressed in interview and the pre-sentence report, Mr Lees had no remorse and doesn’t see downloading images of children causes children to be abused.”

In mitigation, Graham Gilbert, asked the court to consider The Horizon programme, delivered to men of have a sexual conviction who are considered to be at a medium, high or very high risk of reconviction.

Mr Gilbert said: “The great benefit to society is for him to undertake the course and have his thinking and attitudes challenged by a properly qualified individual.”

Recorder Power was given character references from Lees’ former partner and sister which was said to “demonstrate the good he does to those in his immediate vicinity”.

Lees previously pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent photographs of children.

In sentencing, Recorder Power said: “You did not see you looking at those images led to children being abused, you thought the children were just models and their parents would be paid for what they did.”

Lees was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for 24 months. He must also complete 100 hours unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation days, along with the Horizon programme.