A DAD caught with dozens of child abuse pictures and films had "a morbid fascination" in it rather than a sexual attraction to youngsters, a court heard.

Matthew Peacock, 38, simply "stumbled across" the sickening images when he was looking for other things on a file-sharing website, his barrister said.

Peacock, of Easterside Road, Middlesbrough, dodged prison after a judge heard he had not downloaded any more images since his arrest in January last year.

He was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to go on the sex offender treatment programme and undergo supervision.

Judge Howard Crowson, at Teesside Crown Court, told him: "Both are designed to ensure we do not meet again for this type of offence."

The court heard how police searched his home and seized a number of devices after a tip-off that his accounts were being used to access illegal images.

Prosecutor David Crook said 130 files, both still and moving and mostly depicting children aged five to 13 - were found, and six videos were an hour long.

A further dozen images of extreme pornography showing adults and animals were discovered during examinations of computers and hard drives.

Jim Withyman, mitigating, said: "I'm instructed he has no sexual interest. It was just disbelief, and that led him to make further searches.

"This was over a relatively short period of time, and it is a relatively small number of images. For a short number of weeks, he made a foolish mistake.

"He accepts there will be considerable revulsion among friends over what he has done, and there will be embarrassment for him and his family.

"He is acutely aware that without people looking for these things on the internet, the abuse would not take place. He has some considerable insight."

Peacock admitted making indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornography, and was told by the judge: "Many people find this abhorrent."