A BURNLEY garage worker who downloaded child porn was found out after a colleague used his computer memory stick, a court was told.

The town's magistrates heard how Robert Malone, 23, who says he was sexually abused when he was 11, told police it had made him want to investigate child porn in the hope of closing down the websites and get those running them arrested - but magistrates did not believe him and gave him a suspended prison sentence.

Malone, who has no previous convictions, admitted 11 charges of making an indecent photo or pseudo photo of a child, between last December and June this year.

Malone, of Berkeley Drive, Read, was told by the bench child porn was not a victimless crime. He was sentenced to 120 days in prison, suspended for 18 months, with supervision, and was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for seven years. He must pay £75 costs. Bill Maude, prosecuting, told the court Malone worked at the Evans Halshaw garage, in Eastern Avenue, and had taken a computer memory stick for his colleague to put some work documents on.

The colleague looked at the contents of the stick and told his bosses. Police were then called. Malone was arrested after police searched his house and found a considerable number of indecent images.

Lee Hammond, defending, said Malone had been indecently assaulted by a stranger who gave him a lift home when he was 11.