AN apparently respectable family man has walked free from court despite admitting possessing more than 60,000 indecent images of children.

John Kevin Hall became “obsessed” with images of children as young as one-year-old, Durham Crown Court heard yesterday.

Forty-six of the 61,597 indecent photographs and videos police found on his home computer were of the most serious category, the court was told.

Hall, 53, of Featherstone Drive, Newton Hall, Durham, is married and had worked for 30 years at the Government department for agriculture.

Robert Adams, for Hall, said: “It’s come as a shock to all those who know him that anything like this was going on, but it’s clear from the presentence report he had a perhaps less than satisfactory marriage physically.

“He turned to adult pornography initially and then child pornography, firstly out of interest and later an obsession.”

Hall was arrested after police searched his home on January 16, last year. Officers found 59,500 images and 52 videos at level one – the least serious grade; 485 images and 14 videos at level two; 603 images at level three; 848 images and 17 videos at level four; and 46 images at level five.

Hall pleaded guilty to 16 charges of making, and one charge of possessing, indecent images of children.

He quit his job “before he was pushed” and the last 18 months had been horrific for him, said Mr Adams.

“He’s not a bad man.

There’s no suggestion he was sharing the pictures. He kept it all very private. He will have to attempt to rebuild his life.

“In this type of case, the being caught is the deterrent.

It’s the realisation of his friends of what he has done which is the greatest punishment.”

Sentencing, Judge Michael Taylor told Hall: “It’s quite clear you are a man who comes from a very good background.

You’ve had a very good employment record and a family life. People who know you well spoke very highly of you.”

Hall was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years. He will be subject to a sex offender prevention order will have to sign the sex offenders’ register for ten years.