A GRANDFATHER who accessed sickening images of children on his home computer was spared jail yesterday.

Stephen Kinnair's home was searched by police after a tip-off to Metropolitan police that a user named "Squire22" had been searching the Internet for pornographic material.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how images and movie clips were retrieved from the 54-year-old's hard drives, some of which were said to be in the most serious category.

Kinnair, of Sunnybrow, Silksworth, Sunderland, admitted one charge of possessing and 15 of making indecent photographs of children.

He told police: "Morbid curiosity drove me to go further and further into these things."

Kinnair was told his guilty pleas, previous good character and the fact he did not distrubute any of the images, meant he could be spared jail.

He was sentenced to a community rehabilitation order for three years.