A SELF-CONFESSED porn addict groomed and abused a child and shared indecent pictures of the youngster online.

Civil servant Graham Allport discussed his depraved desires with a woman he met on an erotic fantasy website – then blamed her for him taking and sending the images.

The 48-year-old also told a psychiatric and a probation officer that he thought his victim enjoyed what he was doing and he “normalised” the sickening behaviour.

Jailing him for seven years and four months at Teesside Crown Court, Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, QC said: “It is far, far, far from normal. These, as you know and now recognise, are dreadful offences.”

Cleveland Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team discovered images had been uploaded to the internet from Allport’s home in Billingham.

The 48-year-old, who was working for HM Revenue and Customs at the time, was arrested and caught with 84 indecent images of children on his phone.

Prosecutor Richard Bennett said the pictures included children as young as two to four being sexually abused.

Officers also found the Skype conversations containing indecent images of a semi-naked child.

It emerged he had touched and kissed the youngster, and made the child watch pornography.

Allport admitted 12 charges – four of sexual activity with a child, two of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, one of causing a child to watch a sexual act, one of arranging or facilitating a child sex offence, one of distributing and three of making indecent images of children.

His lawyer, Damian Sabino admitted: “There was planning, grooming and the recording of the images which were distributed. The child was victimised by him.

“He says he no longer gets a thrill with such pre-occupation.

“It’s no longer a secret. He’s moving towards healing and rehabilitation, through the church, through prayer and therapy. It’s been the most difficult time to experience, coming to terms with the horrors of what he’s done. He has a huge amount of guilt.”

He said Allport, who had no previous convictions, had “faulty and deluded” thinking which he was trying to tackle.

Mr Sabino told the court how Allport had a 30-year career with the former Inland Revenue which is now “in tatters".

Judge Bourne-Arton said he had read “with disquiet” Allport trying to blame others, but told him he took advantage of the child’s confusion for his own pre-occupation with sex.