A man who downloaded nearly 42,000 images of child pornography from the internet also had a miniature camera hidden in a matchbox in the bathroom of a home he shared with his partner to spy on people, a court heard yesterday. David Jackson, prosecuting at Stafford Crown Court, said David Heath (59) was living with his partner in Tamworth, Staffordshire, when her daughter found the camera and immediately contacted the police. Heath, of Aston Close, Meesham, near Tamworth, pleaded guilty to 25 charges of making indecent images and one of possessing indecent images. He was jailed for 14 months, banned from working with children indefinitely and told to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for ten years. Judge Paul Glenn told Heath he would be released after serving half his sentence and said: "These offences came to light because you fitted a camera in the bathroom concealed in a matchbox to take pictures of people using the bathroom. I sentence you for downloading a substantial number of pictures and videos over four years. There is no evidence of distribution. You said you found the images sexually arousing. "But you seem to have a limited understanding for the victims who are children - children who are corrupted and sexually abused." Mr Jackson said: "The police went to his house and found the camera and examined a computer. Heath was interviewed before they found out what was on the computer and he admitted he had been downloading images over a number of years. "The police found 40,221 still images and 1,078 video images." He said there were 1,145 images at level five - the highest level of sexual abuse; 4,755 at level four; 17,134 at level three; 11,300 at level two and 7,958 at level one. Martin Liddiard, defending, said: "He has always, when challenged, admitted downloading images and he did so without really looking. "He should be given a degree of credit for his pleas of guilty after he was arrested in March last year. "It is a relatively rare day in offences of this nature that a defendant is so open about it." | 
