July 2015 Pervert says he became ‘addicted’ to viewing indecent images of children A MAN says he became “addicted” to sexual videos and pictures of children after finding some on a second hand computer, York Crown Court heard. David Lampitt, prosecuting, said police found 70 illegal videos and 4,960 pictures on four IT pieces of equipment at Keith Ashton’s home. He told police: “It has been an obsession of mine for years. I am ashamed, but it is an addiction.” His solicitor advocate Kevin Blount said he had first encountered sexual images on children when he bought a second hand computer whose hard disc had not been properly cleaned. That developed into him searching the Internet for other images. The Recorder of York, Judge Stephen Ashurst, told him: “You are someone who has achieved a considerable reputation in your field …… But there is a flaw in your character.” He gave him a community order with three years’ supervision and a sex offenders’ rehabilitation course, and made him subject to a sexual harm prevention order restricting his use of the Internet and put him on the sex offenders’ register, both for five years. Ashton, 65, of Trafalgar Street, York, pleaded guilty to six charges of possessing indecent images of children. Mr Lampitt said most of the pictures and videos were in the lowest category of seriousness, but 117 photos and 30 videos were in the highest category. There are three categories. Police raided his home because Internet records revealed he had accessed websites with indecent images of children between October 2013 and February 2014. Mr Blount said he had a technical interest in computers. He also had a history of depression and had spent time in Bootham Hospital receiving treatment. His mental illness may have affected his “moral compass” and he had ignored the fact that children had to be abused for the photographs and videos to be produced. That had changed since his arrest 14 months before the court case. He had sought help from his doctor and was seeing a clinical psychologist for treatment.