A DEVIANT who illegally imported a childlike sex doll for his "distorted" sexual desires has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Laurence Tomlinson was arrested after police were tipped off that he had bought himself the doll, which was designed to appear as a three to four-year-old girl.

An examination of the illicit sex doll revealed that one-metre tall doll had been used by the highly educated loner for his own "sexual gratification".

Teesside Crown Court heard how Tomlinson was also discover to be in possession of four category A indecent images of children, ten category B, 28 category C and four prohibited images of children.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said the 30-year-old initially denied owning the doll but eventually showed officers where he had hidden it under his bed.

"The childlike doll was being used for sexual purposes," she added.

"He had checked the legality of the doll and told officers that he didn't have a sexual interest in children."

Judge Stephen Ashurst said the email correspondence between Tomlinson and the company "left little doubt to the nature of these items they were discussing".

Miss Masters added that the defendant had also used a number of internet search terms regularly used by such offenders.

Tomlinson, of Portman Street, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to importing prohibited goods and four counts in relation to indecent images.

Andrew Turton, mitigating, called on the judge to suspend his client's sentence to ensure that he could get treatment for his "deviant and distorted" views after he admitted getting "sexual gratification" from using the doll.

He said: "This is a 30-year-old man facing sentence for offences of a serious nature which crosses the custody threshold. If he goes to immediate custody, there would be little prospect of rehabilitation for the distorted thinking that this young man used to commit these offences."

Judge Ashurst sentenced Tomlinson to 14 months in custody, suspended for two years, and ordered him to sign on the sex offenders's register for ten years.

He said: "You were candid enough to say to the Probation Service that the purpose of buying this item was for your personal sexual gratification.

"You have acknowledged that you do have a sexual interest in children, particularly those aged between six and eight."