A 45-YEAR-OLD man who was arrested as part of an inquiry by the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit into child pornography has been jailed for a year.

When police officers raided Timothy Pickup's home in Wellington Street, Oakes, last August they seized computer equipment and 161 compact discs.

They also discovered the role he played in running an internet bulletin board used by paedophiles.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that most of the CDs contained adult porn, but three of them showed indecent photographs and video clips of youngsters aged between 10 and 14.

Pickup now lives in Illingworth, Halifax, after being forced to flee from his home last year.

He admitted 15 sample charges of possessing indecent images of children and a further allegation that he had conspired with persons unknown to distribute indecent images of youngsters via an internet bulletin board called Ranchi.

Prosecutor James Rae likened the website to a private members' club and said Pickup was one of several administrators.

Pickup was involved in discussions via the internet with other administrators around the world about the running of the site.

Barrister Fiona Dix-Dyer, for Pickup, described him as a sad and lonely man who was invited to act as an administrator for the bulletin board.

She said: "It made him feel important and respected in somebody's eyes."

Miss Dix-Dyer said her client's role had been to delete old messages and other items from the site and described him as effectively a `cleaner'.

She pointed out that most of the site related to adult porn and only about 30% involved images of children.

She added that following his arrest and charge, Pickup's health problems had increased and he was now treated like a pariah.

In addition to jailing him for a year, recorder Peter Johnson ordered that Pickup must register as a sex offender for the next 10 years and also be disqualified from working with children.

After serving half his sentence, Pickup will be released but recorder Johnson warned him that he would be on licence for the next four years and could be returned to finish his sentence if he breached his licence.

He noted that it was rare for a man carrying out Pickup's role to be brought before the courts because considerable measures were taken to mask their real identities from the enforcement agencies.

The National Hi-Tech Crime Unit was set up in April 2001 as the UK's first national law enforcement organisation to combat computer-based crime.