Child-porn youth avoids jail term

A TEENAGER caught with porn pictures and videos on his computer escaped jail on his 19th birthday - because a judge decided to give him a chance.

Christopher Charlton was caught with the images of girls aged as young as five, along with extreme pornographic pictures of bestiality, when police raided his home in Limeside Road, Oldham.

They had been tipped off by US authorities after he sent messages to two underage girls on a social networking website.

Sentencing him at Manchester Crown Court, Judge Mushtaq Khokhar told him the offences were so serious he would normally go to prison — but he believed a community order would be more of a punishment and a help.

The judge, who had seen some of the pictures before sentencing, said: “What I have looked at depicted images which for the life of me I cannot understand somebody of your age even contemplating viewing.

“Whether this was a passing phase or something more deep rooted, I know not, but there is no doubt the activities of people like you encourage the exploitation of young girls.”

Charlton was placed under the supervision of the Probation Service for three years, and ordered to take part in the Northumbria Sex Offenders Programme.

He will also be placed on the sex offenders register for the next five years.

Tim Hopley, defending, said the offences had been committed when Charlton was aged between 16 and 17: “At the time he was clearly misusing both alcohol and drugs, and he was very mixed up in his personal life.”