A MIRFIELD man described as “part of the community” has been jailed for child porn offences.
Steve Brooke, a former chairman of Mirfield Tennis Club, was jailed for 18 weeks by Dewsbury magistrates.
Brooke, 57, admitted storing almost 14,000 images on computer equipment.
Brooke, of Priory Way, Mirfield, pleaded guilty to downloading indecent images.
Brooke was arrested in August 2009 after a special operation set up by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre focussed on Croatian websites.
Experts found images had been downloaded by Brooke onto computers at his home.
Police went to Brooke’s home and he handed over a box containing eight computer memory sticks.
Police checks later discovered a total of 13,624 images on the memory sticks.
Most of the images were of level one, the least serious, but the court was told that eight were of level five, the most graphic.
Andy Wills, prosecuting, said: “He stated that he had viewed pornography initially on adult sites and there were links that had led him to child pornography.
“He said he was ashamed of his actions and where it has led him.”
Mr Robert Dawson, in mitigation, said Brooke had co-operated fully with police and had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
“Effectively he has had this hanging over him since August 2009.
“He has tried to make amends as best he can for things he is extremely ashamed about.”
He said that Brooke was “part of the community” particularly at the Tennis Club.
He said he had not been involved in coaching children but had served as chairman of the club.
Brooke was jailed for 18 weeks and told he must sign the sex offenders register for seven years.
He was also made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order to stop him working with children and had computer equipment destroyed.
