A BLACKBURN worker with a "secret addiction" to child porn has been jailed for six months after police found almost 2,000 obscene images.

Lee Wilcock, 33, downloaded pictures from the Internet on to his home computer.

The defendant was partly relieved he had been detected but was also aghast at the shame he had brought on himself, a court was told.

Judge Peter Openshaw, QC, sentencing Wilcock at Burnley Crown Court, told him his case was a familiar sentencing problem - that of an otherwise respectable man in a responsible job.

He added he had no doubt the defendant, who had no previous convictions, would benefit from some constructive form of rehabilitation but the sentence had to reflect the "public outrage" at what he had done.

Wilcock, of Hallam Road, Nelson, admitted five counts of making an indecent photo of a child and one charge of possessing an indecent photo of a child.

The court was told more than 1,700 pornographic images were discovered on the defendant's home computer. Most of them were the less serious type, 13 were "highly distasteful" pictures at level four and three were of the most serious type.

Elizabeth Brennan, defending, said Wilcock had been disgusted with himself, and was glad he was caught.

He was an educated man and had worked at a Blackburn computer firm for four years.

The defendant clearly showed insight into the offences and into the reality of the situation behind the abusive images. Wilcock accepted he had a problem.

Miss Brennan told the court: "He says he needs help and he wants help."