A FATHER has been jailed for 18 months for accessing 16,000 "depraved" pictures of children on the internet.

Geoffrey Bramford, 33, of Cricklade Road, Swindon, claimed he had downloaded child pornography so he could destroy it using a computer virus.

But at Swindon Crown Court on Friday Judge Charles Wade rejected this "bizarre" excuse and said Bramford had become obsessed with looking at indecent photographs.

The court heard that, acting on information, police officers raided his home on October 21 last year, where they removed a computer and several CD roms.

Officers discovered a number of indecent images of children. When told he was to be arrested, prosecutor Richard Thomas said, Bramford replied: "You're kidding."

Bramford pleaded guilty to 10 charges of making indecent photographs of children and one of possessing indecent photographs of children between 1999 and 2002.

Bramford claimed he had accessed child pornography websites so he could destroy the photographs by attaching viruses to them.

But the court heard it was not possible to do this in the way he described.

Mr Thomas said Bramford could not explain why images had been saved in different files on his computer, as well as on CD Roms.

Bramford's counsel, Robin Shellard, said: "It became an obsession and an addiction which he is struggling within himself to rationalise.

"He finds it hard to see himself as part of the chain of abuse that downloading these images is part of."

Mr Shellard said Bramford was separated from his wife and had been denied access to his children during the 10 months since his arrest.

He had also been suspended from his job at an Asda store.

The judge told Bramford: "In total between 15,500 and 16,000 images were found on your computer.

"Your explanation as to why the material was on your computer in the first place is in my view bizarre and scarcely credible.

"You viewed this material despite saying you had no sexual interest in children.

"It appears to have become an obsession with you and sadly an addiction.

"The material is frankly absolutely appalling and depraved.

"All of it involves the systematic abuse of young and sometimes very young children by adults."

Judge Wade said it was difficult to assess whether Bramford was a risk to the public.

But he added that the offences were so serious that nothing less than a custodial sentence could be justified.

Bramford will be on licence for two years after his release from jail.