A SEXUALLY repressed scientist who downloaded more than 15,000 indecent images of children has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Christopher Richardson, 64, of Corinthian Court in Alcester, pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to 12 charges of making indecent images of children.

He was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison suspended for two years, with two years supervision, and was ordered to take part in a sex offender programme and to pay £1,200 costs.

Prosecutor Neil Bannister said that during a police investigation in 2010 officers found Richardson had been downloading indecent images of children.

He was arrested on suspicion of possessing such images, and his laptop computer and a hard drive were seized.

Officers from the force’s high tech unit found a staggering 15,700 indecent images of children which had been downloaded over a four-year period.

Judge Marten Coates said an appropriate custodial sentence would result in Richardson’s release “very quickly” but there was “a strong case for re-educating him”.

Ben Close, defending, said: “This offending ended in July 2010, and there have been no further offences, but I do not seek to persuade Your Honour there is not a problem which can be addressed.”

He said Richardson, who was visibly ashamed of what he has done, had worked for ICI conducting scientific research for 20 years and later working in cancer research.

“He had an unusual upbringing, to use the word strict is an understatement, and he was led to believe anything to do with sex would result in eternal damnation,” he said.

“It has led him to be sexually repressed.”

Mr Close said that after a seven-year marriage ended, Richardson had formed a “destructive relationship” with another woman who was an alcoholic.

She died two or three years ago, which was the trigger which led to him looking at the images on the internet.

Mr Close added that Richardson is the carer for his 88-year-old mother who would suffer most if he was jailed.

The judge also ordered Richardson to register as a sex offender for seven years, imposed a condition that he does not take photos of any child under 16 or access any website which enables the downloading of images of children irrespective of their state of undress.