Bittorrent downloads lead to child porn charges

ACTIVITY on sharing software Bittorrent led police to the discovery of close to 20,000 child exploitation images on an Ipswich man's computer.

Police raided Jeremy Raymond Finch's home in July and found 19,842 images of children exploitation material and 66 movies which he told police he used for his own personal gratification.

The 36-year-old told police he spent six months downloading the material and storing it on his computer, tablet and two USBs.

He became a person of interest after his use of Bittorrent was monitored.

Finch was jailed over the images in Ipswich District Court on Friday. In sentencing the court heard a physiologist did not believe Finch had a "deviant, entrenched physical attraction to children".

His defence lawyer Tim Ryan said Finch "loathed to admit" he was "aroused" by the images.

"The temptation that occurs and exists comes with this material being readily available on the internet," he said.

Finch pleaded guilty to five charges including using a carriage service to access child exploitation material and four charges of possessing child exploitation material.

Judge Dennis Lynch sentenced Finch to a head sentence of two years imprisonment suspended after four months for three years and a good behaviour period of three years.