A MAN has been put on probation for three years after admitting possession of indecent photographs of children taken from the internet.

Graham Frederick Cutler, 47, of Woone Lane, Clitheroe, who has only one leg and was described in court as a former part-time fireman, has been placed on the sex offenders register for five years.

Blackburn magistrates ordered the photos and the defendant's computer to be confiscated and described the offence as "distasteful."

Patricia Bramley, prosecuting, said Cutler came to police attention because of complaints made by several children around the age of 12 who had been to his home and had seen or been shown wholly inappropriate photographs involving various forms of sexual activity.

Today, a woman who claims her two daughters were shown pornographic pictures by Cutler, slammed the sentence and branded him "a danger to children".

She said: "My daughters were only 11 and 14 when this happened to them. They befriended him because they felt sorry that he only had one leg, and this is how he treated them.

"What they described to me no child could ever have made up. They are scarred for life by this man and what he showed them.

"My youngest is now frightened of adults and has to see a child psychiatrist and both of them are seeing counsellors from Victim Support. The sentence he was given is just diabolical." Miss Bramley said police went to Cutler's home on February 20 and found the computer and numerous images downloaded from the internet.

Of these, 22 were pictures of a sexual nature involving young children.

The prosecutor added: "These pictures were seen by an expert who said they would not have been obtained by accident.

"One would deliberately have to go through the necessary procedures to obtain them. They were obviously downloaded by the defendant using his computer."

Solicitor John Houldsworth said Cutler was a man of excellent character who had had an exemplary work record in the past. Mr Houldsworth said Cutler had worked for Rolls-Royce in Barnoldswick.

The magistrates told Cutler they found the offence distasteful and were giving him the maximum proobation sentence allowable.

Cutler had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and been bailed for reports with a M-,recommendation of probation.

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