A FORMER Craven district councillor who was jailed for possessing about 30,000 indecent images of children has been back in court again for similar offending.

High Bentham man John Pilkington, 76, was sentenced to 21 months in prison back in February 2004 after a judge described his collection of child pornography as one of the worst it had been his misfortune to look at.

But another judge heard yesterday (Thursday) that shortly after being released from that prison term he began accumulating indecent images and videos of children again.

Last month Pilkington, of Springfield, pleaded guilty to possessing almost 400 indecent images and videos of children as well as three extreme pornographic images and yesterday (Thursday) he appeared before Bradford Crown Court for his sentence.

Prosecutor Paul Nicholson told the court that Pilkington had downloaded the images and videos between April 2006 and August last year.

Police officers seized various devices from Pilkington's home and after they were analysed he was found to have downloaded dozens of videos and nearly 300 images of children.

Barrister Robin Frieze conceded that his client must have started downloading the material shortly after his release from prison and the court heard that Pilkington was in denial about his offending at that time.

But Mr Frieze submitted that Pilkington had now had the courage and sense to come to terms with his "deviancy" and to seek help for it.

"There is in my submission great force in the recommendation in the report that he is now somebody with some insight into the trigger factors that led him to look at this material sporadically," said Mr Frieze.

He submitted that the treatment available now would give his client the tools to prevent him offending in the same way again.

Recorder Jeremy Hill-Baker said offence-focused programmes for sex offenders were effective in certain cases and he hoped that Pilkington now appreciated that downloading such images and videos was not a victimless crime.

Pilkington was sentenced to a two-year community order which includes a requirement to engage with a 90-day sex offender treatment programme.

He will also register as a sex offender with the police for the next five years and he must also comply with a sexual harm prevention order.

The judge warned Pilkington that he could spend the rest of his life in prison if he breached the terms of the community order.