September 2006 ‘Brave’ child porn sergeant freed A sergeant major, convicted of child pornography offences, has been freed from jail because of “outstanding bravery and service to the country.” RSM Alexander Gardener, 35, of Andover, pleaded guilty to having an indecent photograph of a child and two counts of distributing an indecent photograph. He was sentenced to nine months in jail at Winchester Crown Court in August. But appeal court judges have given him a nine-month suspended sentence, saying he poses no direct risk to children. ‘Serious offences’ Gardener, of the 3rd Regiment Army Air Corps, was ordered to sign on the sex offenders register for 10 years after he was found guilty of downloading 363 pornographic images. He was thrown out of the army. But on Wednesday, judges at the Court of Appeal said he had been living “a fantasy sex life”. Lord Justice Moses said: “This is an unusual case, which raises in stark form the effect of outstanding service to the country and outstanding bravery, on the sentence for one who has indulged in serious offences involving child pornography.” He added Gardener had “no idea about the reality of these offences” and what the individuals were doing who supplied the pictures.