The Attorney General last night defended a child protection chief at the centre of a row about how paedophiles should be dealt with.

Jim Gamble, of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, was criticised by a children's charity for arguing that paedophiles convicted of looking at child pornography should not necessarily go to prison.

He argued that the offender could receive a caution and be managed within the community.

During a visit to Durham City, Lord Goldsmith defended Mr Gamble.

He said: "I have no doubt that predatory paedophiles - dangerous repeat offenders - need substantial prison sentences.

"But I think what he is saying is that there is another category of people, right at the other end perhaps, who may have downloaded child pornography.

"He's raising the question whether it is always right for them to be sentenced to prison.

"These are important questions on which it is right to have a debate to recognise there are different categories of offender."

The row erupted after Mr Gamble told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "We shouldn't be sending everyone that ever commits an offence - particularly of the viewing kind - to prison."

He added: "(If) someone is at the beginning of the spiral of abuse, where there is evidence to indicate during the investigation that this person may well benefit from a police caution and be managed, then of course that needs to be done."

His remarks were attacked by Michele Elliott, director of children's charity Kidscape, who said: "I agree with him that these people need treatment. However, to treat them in the community sends a message that what they have done is not very serious.

"I believe that if you download child pornography, you are just as guilty as the people who are taking the photographs.

"You create a market, because you want to view child pornography, therefore a child is abused for your pleasure. As far as I am concerned, that means prison."

Lord Taylor of Warwick, who is a judge and patron of Kidscape, said it was "perfectly proper" for Mr Gamble to raise the issue, but he had used a clumsy form of words.

Donald Findlater, of child protection charity the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, agreed with Ms Elliott that the gravity of child pornography must not be diminished.

However, he added: "Jim Gamble is right that the scale of the problem is such that we simply cannot leave it to police, courts and prisons to deal with it."

Mr Gamble later issued a statement which said: "Let me be clear - if you are a person who has thoughts of a sexual nature about children then get help before you offend. If you don't and you do go on to commit an offence, then we will track and bring you to account."