April 2012 Father hid child porn obsession A family man who hid a dark obsession with child abuse has been jailed for nine months by a court. Married dad Louis Pindard, 53, of Lourdes Avenue, Lostock Hall, worked as a manager at a printing firm and had never been in trouble with the police before. But his secret was discovered as part of an international probe into child pornography. His computer was found to have around 9,000 indecent images on it – more than 100 at levels four and five, the most serious category. Today he is waking up behind bars after admitting 23 offences of possessing the indecent images at an earlier hearing before Preston Crown Court. Det Con Dave Johnson, of South Ribble CID, said: “People who indulge in this kind of behaviour should recognise that there is no hiding place on the internet. “Police forces across the world are co-operating with each other in relation to people who access these sites. “By accessing them they are perpetrating crimes against children. “I am never pleased when people who otherwise would not come to the police’s attention go to jail. “ Police believe that Pindard had been accessing such images since at least 2009. As well as the nine-month jail term, he was also subjected to a five-year Sexual Offences’ Prevention Order. And he will be required to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for the next 10 years. He pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and police said he co-operated fully with the investigation all the way through. A judge at Preston Crown Court told the court during sentencing that Pindard had exhibited “obsessive and addictive” behaviour. The judge added that he hoped the sentence given to Pidard would act as a deterrent to other people and would prevent other children from being exploited. The judge also ordered the computer and hard drive on which the images were saved by confiscated and destroyed.