THE father of missing shopworker Jenny Nicholl is facing a possible jail sentence after admitting downloading child pornography.

Brian Nicholl, 49, from Richmond, North Yorkshire, appeared in court yesterday and admitted 16 charges of making indecent photographs of children.

The judge was told that the charges were specimen counts, and about 2,000 images of child porn were found on the computer when police searched it last year as part of their inquiry into Jenny's disappearance.

Jenny, 19, was last seen at the family home in Bolton Avenue, on June 30 last year.

Concern was raised about her welfare when she failed to turn up for work at the town's Co-op several days later.

Police believe she has been murdered, although a hunt in areas surrounding the town has failed to find her body.

Nicholl, who was dressed in a navy double-breasted suit, light blue shirt and blue and white spotted tie, spoke only to confirm his name and plead guilty when each of the 16 counts was put to him.

Descriptions of the downloaded pictures were read out during the half-hour hearing at Teesside Crown Court.

The images included girls aged between six and 14 in various stages of undress, with some involved in sex acts. One showed a toddler being subjected to a sex act by an adult.

The court heard that the pictures covered all the recognised levels of seriousness, but Nicholl's barrister said he was unaware he was downloading the worst kind of pornography.

The case was adjourned for reports to be prepared by probation workers before Nicholl is sentenced in about a month.

Nicholl was granted bail on the condition he lives at one of his two homes, the addresses of which were not disclosed.

He was told by Judge David Bryant: "I should make it clear to you that the fact I am granting you bail and the fact I am seeking a pre-sentence report does not mean that I have ruled any particular sentence in or out. All sentences - including a sentence of imprisonment - remain available to the court."

Defence barrister Graham Reeds said: "The defendant accepts responsibility both in fact and in law for the presence of all the images found on his computer.

"There were in the region of 2,000, and the 16 counts are specimen counts setting out a representative sample of all of those images.

"It is important to note, however, that according to the most recent Court of Appeal authorities, the manner of committing this type of offence means that it can be done - and was in this case - committed by him viewing web pages containing a large number of thumb-nail images, and without wanting to, downloading some of the material set out in the indictment."

David Brooke, prosecuting, said: "We can't say what he was choosing to look for, and I accept that as a matter of mitigation.

"I would say that these were downloads on many different occasions. He must have had knowledge that images were likely components of those pages.

"It was obvious from those pages, and by repeating his visits to these sorts of websites, that these images were what he would be downloading."

Nicholl will be placed on the sex offenders' register following his pleas of guilty to making the images between May 28 and June 18 last year.

Following his arrest, police stressed he was not a suspect in the murder investigation.