A former Inland Revenue worker who paid to download 90 sickening child porn pictures from the internet has been spared jail.

But John Sunderland was warned that if he hunts out the images again he will go to prison.

The 40-year-old admitted 19 charges of possessing indecent photographs of children at an earlier hearing at Dewsbury Magistrates Court.

He was warned he could face jail, but at yesterday's hearing Sunderland was made the subject of a Community Rehabilitation Order for 36 months.

Sunderland's solicitor Clive Flynn described the case as a sad and sorry state of affairs.

"He says that he was first attracted to the website by an advertisement on another site that said something like 'Look, child porn here'," he said.

"Because that advert was worded as it was it aroused his curiosity and he investigated it further."

Sunderland, of Airedale Crescent, Undercliffe, was caught as part of the international police investigation Operation Ore headed by the FBI, which has targeted internet child pornography in America and the UK.

His records showed he had made four visits to a subscription-only child porn web site and had 90 indecent images of children aged under 16 on his machine.

Pictures are graded from one to five - with level five being the most serious.

In mitigation Mr Flynn claimed his client - whose jobs included spells as an Inland Revenue worker, bakery manager, printer and cafe manager, was disgusted by the more abusive images. "The pictures at level four shocked my client so much he says he wanted nothing further to do with those pictures," he said.

"That I think sums up my client's attitude. He is sorry for what he has done and he is resolved he will not re-offend in this way."

The court heard how Sunderland had been forced to move to his mother-in-law's house following his arrest, and that his home had been targeted by vandals.

"Messages were left on the wall indicating that those who broke in were aware of the offences," Mr Flynn said.

Chairman of the Bench Clifford Bromley gave Sunderland credit for his guilty plea and co-operation with police, but said that viewing pornographic images of young children could not be tolerated.

"People that subscribe to sites like these create a market and while people continue to subscribe, these sites will continue to flourish," he said.

"The charges you have suffered have been the result of your own actions."

Sunderland was warned that if he breaks the conditions of the order he could face jail.

He will be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for five years and will have his computer confiscated. He was also ordered to pay £60 costs.