PAEDOPHILE Richard Carter is beginning a two-and-a-half year jail sentence today after being lambasted by a judge.

PAEDOPHILE Richard Carter is beginning a two-and-a-half year jail sentence today after being lambasted by a judge.

Carter, of Fen View, Washbrook, was found to have more than 400 child porn images on his computer when his home was raided by police.

More than a hundred of those were at levels four and five, the two highest gradings of hardcore pornography involving children.

Officers also found evidence of the 32-year-old going into chatrooms to speak to youngsters.

Ipswich Crown Court heard that on one occasion Carter encouraged what he believed was a 12-year-old girl to commit a sex act, while he pleasured himself.

During Carter's sentencing, Judge David Goodin told him he had sought to satisfy his own urges and desires, and that he had engaged in sexual activity with a 12-year-old for the gratification he required.

Of the child pornography images Judge Goodin said: “Not only is this filthy material, but it is cruel material. Images of (levels) four and five are images of degradation and cruelty, which people like you feed.”

The court heard Carter had not only possessed and made images, but he had also distributed them to individuals.

However, Judge Goodin did add there was no evidence Carter's offending would have led to any physical contact, but it certainly would have led to a wider distribution.

Carter had previously pleaded guilty to 16 counts of making indecent photographs of children under 16, one charge of possession of an indecent photograph of a child under 16 and three counts of distributing indecent photographs of a child under 16.

He also admitted a charge of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Carter received three sentences totalling four years and three months, but two of these sentences are to run concurrently with the longest sentence of two-and-a-half years.

Prosecutor Godfried Duah told the court police raided Carter's home on February 27 last year and seized his laptop, computer tower and webcam.

Mr Duah said the evidence police found indicated that when Carter was speaking to the 12-year-old in the chatroom she had become worried and wondered whether she should be communicating with him.

Carter told her: “To tell you the truth I like the younger ladies.”

In total Carter's computer held 387 still child porn images and 56 moving images. There were 134 level four images and 11 level five.

Simon Spence, mitigating, said his client was sexually inexperienced and was clearly lacking in any sexual confidence at all.

In addition to Carter's jail term, he will have to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for an indefinite period and is banned from working with children.